Forgotten Memories: A P3P and P4 Story
by Deidara'sgirl19
Summary: Sequel to "Only You". The team will have one year to retrieve Minako's memories and give them to her before she is released from the Great Seal. Will they succeed? Pairings: ShinjiroxMinako, Yukiko/Souji/Naoto *Please Review!* *CHAPTER 19 UP!*
1. Prologue

Hello again! This is the sequel to my other Persona story, "Only You". **Remember, in this story, all events from "Only You", INCLUDING the original scenes that I came up with, will most likely show up sometime in this story (as memories). So, if you haven't read my first Persona story yet, I highly recommend that you read it before you read this one.** This chapter is the prologue, which explains how everyone's been doing, and what has happened over the course of the two year time jump. NOTE: This story takes place two years after the events of P3P, and a few months after the events of P4. Some of the characters might seem like OC's to you because I wanted to change their personalities a little (it's not like they're gonna act the same as when they were still in high school/elementary school, ya know? Don't worry, I didn't drastically change their personalities…only a little. Oh, and it might seem like Shinjiro changed a lot over the two years based on how he acts in the prologue, but when he is introduced in the actual storyline, his personality will be almost exactly the same as how it was in the game). So, enough of me talking, I hope you enjoy my sequel: _Forgotton Memories_!

PS: Pairings for this story include (but not limited to) - ShinjiroxMinako , some SoujixNaoto (that's my fave P4 pairing, so deal with it :3 )

**This story will revolve a lot around Shinjiro and Minako's relationship in both the game and "Only You", especially when it gets to the chapters dealing with memory retrieval.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Persona or its characters

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~Prologue~

Two years ago, a brave girl saved the world from Nyx. She sacrificed her life to seal Nyx for all eternity, but stayed alive through sheer willpower in order to keep her promise to all her friends. She spent her last moments with her beloved, and closed her eyes…never to awaken again. After that fateful day, her friends fell into depression, but remained strong. However, a certain incident happened, triggering a period of time where the days never changed, and the former SEES members were unable to leave the dorm. During that time, they encountered Metis, who claimed that her purpose was to protect her "sister", Aigis. She agreed to help them find a way to exit the dorm, and showed them to the Abyss of Time, a room with many doors, showing the memories of the SEES members' pasts. And by going through each door, they encountered the shadow of a person they thought had died. Once that fight was over, they each received a key, together in which had the power for them to leave the dorm and move on in life. But some of them, instead of wanting to move on, wanted to see the girl, Minako, again…even if it meant having to defeat Nyx again. After a series of conflicts, Aigis ultimately received all the keys, with the help of Metis and Fuuka. However, before choosing to see Minako again or to leave the dorm, she wanted to know what had happened to Minako after she fought Nyx. Once they entered a certain door, they found themselves in front of a larger door, and chained to it was the one who protected the world from Nyx. After seeing her body on the door, and the countless number of souls wishing for death in the form of Erebus, they finally realized why Minako did what she did. After they fought with Erebus, it was soon discovered that Metis was Aigis's other self. They found out the truth behind Minako and Metis from Igor and Theodore in the Velvet Room. Once they learned the truth, they all agreed to use the key to exit the dorm, and to move on in life…

Present day…

~Mitsuru~

A young woman with long red hair was sitting at a desk. She was filling out paperwork when the phone rang.

*Ring ring* the woman answered the phone.

"…Mitsuru Kirijo speaking."

"Milady, I'm calling to let you know that the conference meeting between the Kirijo group and the Nanjo group scheduled for tonight has been cancelled."

"Ah. Thank you for informing me." Mitsuru said politely.

"Very well, then I shall leave you to your duties." The person on the other line hung up. Mitsuru sighed.

"It's times like these I wished I still had my motorcycle…now that I am done with my other duties, I no longer have anything to do for today." Mitsuru began thinking of ways to spend the rest of her day.

"I haven't really seen the others since I became head of the Kirijo group…but like me, they're probably busy with school or other important matters. I wonder what they're doing…" Mitsuru began to reminisce on the times they spent together. She began to frown. "Two years, huh…?" Mitsuru left her office.

~Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka~

"Yes! Finally, I got a C on my paper!" A young man wearing a blue cap yelled. Everyone looked at him.

"Quiet Stupei! People are staring at us!" A young woman with short light brown hair yelled back.

"Aww come on, Yuka-tan! I've never gotten a C on my homework since we entered this college!" Junpei said with a smile.

Yukari facepalmed. "I can't believe we're at the same school AGAIN!"

"Umm…I actually kinda like the idea of us together again…" A frail looking young woman replied. Junpei looked at her.

"Yeah! See Yuka-tan, Fuuka-tan enjoys having me around!"

Fuuka blushed. "W-Well, I didn't mean it like that…"

Yukari rolled her eyes. 'These two have gotten awful close to each other since we arrived here…'

"Hey, since all our classes are over, why not go to Kyoto? I'm dying to go to the hot springs!" Junpei said.

Yukari frowned. "Don't you have studying to do? Besides, I don't want a repeat of THAT incident again…"

"Are you still mad about that? Akihiko-senpai told you that it was a misunderstanding!" Junpei grimaced.

Fuuka looked confused. "…But if it was a 'misunderstanding', then why didn't you guys leave before we spotted you…?"

Junpei looked at her. "We couldn't…Mitsuru's stare turned us into ice sculptures…her executions were like Hell ten times over. You guys shoulda accepted our apologies after that…Minako-tan did…"

Just then, the atmosphere became heavy. Yukari and Fuuka both frowned.

"I can't believe it's been nearly two years since then…" Yukari looked downwards.

"Hey, let's not get depressed over this, alright?" Fuuka tried to comfort Yukari. Yukari smiled.

"I'm sorry, Yuka-tan…I shouldn't have brought it up…" Junpei said.

Yukari shook her head. "No apology needed…but boy am I ready for a break. Hey, let's go to Paulownia Mall!"

Junpei's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah! …Let's go to Club Escapade!"

Both Yukari and Fuuka looked at him with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Hey, I'm a guy! …I deserve some fun too…!" Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka began to laugh.

"Well then, let's go!" Yukari pulled Fuuka towards the school exit. Junpei ran after them, and they all went to Paulownia Mall.

~Ken~

A young teenager was walking alone, on his way to school. He was carrying his backpack over one shoulder.

"Hey, Ken-kun!" A girl ran up to him.

"Oh, hello." Ken said.

"You're so smart, Ken-kun! You got the highest scores out of all the 1st year middle schoolers!" The girl told him.

"I know…maybe if you put more effort into your school work, you'll do well too." Ken replied.

The girl looked hurt. "Well, sorry that I'm not as smart as you!" She ran off. Ken looked confused as he watched her.

"…Did I say something wrong…?" Ken sighed and continued walking, until he made it to his school. When he got to his classroom, a bunch of girls surrounded him.

"Hi, Ken-kun!" One girl squealed.

Ken was intimidated by all the girls. "E-excuse me…I need to get to my seat…" But as he tried to get around them, more girls flocked around his desk.

"Ken-kun, will you tutor me? I'm like, terrible at math!" Another girl giggled. Ken, at that point, looked annoyed. He could hear his male classmates talking.

"Damn, I wish I was that popular with the girls…"

"And get flocked like that? Tch, no way, man…"

"Ken always gets the girls though…"

"…It doesn't look like he enjoys it, though."

Ken pushed his way towards his desk and sat down.

"Umm, do you have a girlfriend, Ken-kun?" A shy girl asked. All the girls stared at him intently.

"N-No…" Ken said. "…But I don't want one…"

All the girls sighed. "Why?"

Ken looked down. "…I did like someone…two years ago, but…"

All the girls looked at each other. "But…?"

Ken looked at them. "…She died…"

All the girls gasped. "Oh, we're so sorry!"

Ken shook his head. "No, it's alright. I don't regret what happened. She died protecting me and my friends…without her saving us, I don't think I'd be here today…"

The girls "Awww"ed at him.

"Wait, you were eleven back then, right? Was this girl a friend from elementary school?" One girl asked.

Ken became hesitant. "No, she wasn't the same age as me…"

"What does that have to do with anything?" The girls looked confused.

"…She went to Gekkoukan High School…she was seventeen…" Ken told them.

The girls were shocked. "WHAT?"

Then, the teacher walked in.

"Alright, everyone, sit down in your seats and quiet down, please."

Everyone sat down. The girls were whispering to each other in inaudible tones.

"Okay, class…today we will be going over…" The teacher began. However, Ken wasn't paying attention. He looked down at his hands.

"…Minako-san…"

~Akihiko~

*Bang bang* Gunshots rang out as a group of men were doing target practice. A young man in particular, shot the dummy with such accuracy and precision, that he hit each and every vital point.

"Good job, Sanada-san, you aced this portion. You may take a break now." A man said to him. Akihiko nodded and sat down at a bench. Another young man sat next to him.

"Man, you're amazing, Akihiko-san. At this rate, you'll be a police officer in no time. Maybe even police chief!"

Akihiko smiled. "Well, I'm not sure about police chief…give me about eight more years."

The man nodded. "Say…what made you want to become a police officer, anyway?"

Akihiko began thinking. "…Well, I guess it's because I want to protect those precious to me. I'm speaking through personal experiences, of course."

The man looked at him. "Yeah? What happened?"

Akihiko smiled sadly. "Well, it all began when I was in the orphanage…with my sister, Miki. Sometime ago, the orphanage burned down, and Miki was trapped inside. They held me back, so I watched helplessly as the orphanage collapsed."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" The man frowned.

"Don't worry about it…" Aikihiko replied. "Anyway, that's when I decided that I needed to get stronger."

"Ahh, so is that your reason?"

Akihiko shook his head. "That's not the only reason. When I was a senior in high school, I met a girl. For some reason, she made my life feel…meaningful."

The man laughed. "That's called _love_, man."

Akihiko laughed as well. "Yeah, she told me that, too."

"She had to _tell_ you? That's pathetic!"

"Haha…well, anyways…" Akihiko said. "…I thought she loved me back…until the next incident that happened that made me want to be a police officer…"

The man listened intently. Akihiko continued. "…My best friend, Shinji, got shot…twice, in the chest. We've known each other since we went to the same orphanage, so when he got shot, I felt helpless. It was just like when I couldn't save Miki."

"So…your friend died?"

Akihiko shook his head.

The man looked at him with disbelief. "He got shot twice…in the CHEST! How can someone survive from that?"

Akihiko stared at his feet. "The girl I loved…saved his life."

"Whoa…how did she do that?"

"I don't know exactly…I guess that's how love works. When you love someone, you don't want to die, at the risk of never being able to see them again…" Akihiko replied.

The man's eyes widened. "So, you mean that your best friend loved the same girl you loved?"

Akihiko nodded. "Though he refused to admit it, it was painfully obvious. And…that girl loved him, too."

The man frowned.

"…I…" Akihiko began. "…I felt like crying when she told him those three words. But…I cared about the both of them too much to let that get to me. After Shinji was put into the hospital, I promised myself to never look back, and to face things head on."

"That's cool…" The man said. "So, what happened between you and the girl?"

"…Nothing happened…" Akihiko replied. "That leads me to the last reason: The girl, whom I loved…she died…"

The man gasped.

"…When she was admitted to the hospital, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. But she was still dying…at that time, Shinji was out of the hospital."

The man looked down.

Akihiko continued. "So, Shinji was the last one to see Minako alive…he heard her last words…her last breath…" He balled his hands into fists. "I was mad at him, especially when he didn't even attend her funeral. But, I soon got over it, because now…I finally know what had happened to her…"

"I see…" The man looked at him. "You should stay true to your goal…and don't lose hope in those you care about…dead, or alive…"

Akihiko smiled. The man looked at his watch. "…Shoot, I'm late. My girlfriend gets pissed if I'm late to dinner. See ya tomorrow!"

Akihiko nodded and watched as the man ran off. He looked at his feet. '…I hope I graduate from college and become a police officer so I can keep my promise…the one I made to you two years ago…Minako…'

~Shinjiro and Koromaru~

"Ok, looks like your body is slowly getting better…" A doctor told a certain young man. "Just keep taking your meds, and the poison should dismiss itself completely. We'll see you again in another week, Aragaki-san."

Shinjiro nodded and walked out of the hospital. He walked to an apartment building, and went up to his room. When he opened the door, a white Shiba Inu was waiting for him.

*Woof Woof!* The dog barked.

"Hey, Koro-chan…" Shinjiro said. "Looks like I'm doing fine, boy…"

Koromaru barked with joy.

"Haha…come on…I'll take you for a walk…whaddaya say, boy?"

*Woof!* Koromaru ran out the door. Shinjiro smiled, and followed him. Koromaru ran to the place he always did: Naganaki Shrine. He usually went there to say hi to the priest who died. But this time, he stopped at a certain headstone towards the back of the shrine. When Shinjiro got there, he noticed where he stopped. He looked down and saw the name on the headstone: Minako Arisato.

Shinjiro smiled sadly. "You miss her, don't you, boy?"

Koromaru wimpered, still staring at the stone.

"Heh, I miss her too. But after we saw why she sacrificed her life, I don't regret anything. She died protecting this world from certain destruction…" Shinjiro looked downwards. He reached into the pocket of his burgundy pea coat, and pulled out a pair of red headphones and an mp3 player. He put them around his neck, holding the mp3 player in his hand.

Koromaru looked at him.

"Oh, this? This is Minako's…she wanted me to have it. There's only two songs on here, and they're both not my type of music. But, she wanted me to listen to them, so I do on occasions like this." Shinjiro explained.

Koromaru nodded his head as if he understood. He then began running around the shrine like he always did. Shinjiro sat down and waited for him to finish. 'I can't believe that two years have passed since all that shit happened.'

*Woof* Koromaru ran up to him.

"…You done, boy? How about I make you some dinner when we get back…?"

Koromaru barked and ran back to the apartment, with Shinjiro not too far behind. When they got back, Shinjiro began making Koromaru some beef stroganoff.

"Here ya go, Koro-chan."

*Woof!* Koromaru began eating. He seemed to be enjoying it.

'…I remember when I made Minako beef stroganoff…Fuuka almost ruined the whole dish, so I had to intervene. When I gave it to her, she told me that it was the most delicious thing she's ever eaten. I told her she was just exaggerating, but I knew that in my heart, I liked the fact that she said that…' Shinjiro smiled sadly.

*Ring Ring* Shinjiro's phone was ringing. He looked at it, and saw that he got a text message from Akihiko.

'Tch. Damn Aki…what does he want now?' He read the text.

_Hey, ya want to go to Hagakure for dinner? I just got done with my college work, so I'm free. I'll meet you there._

"…Tch." Shinjiro replied back to Akihiko: _Sure._

"I'll be out for dinner, Koro-chan…I'm meeting Aki for dinner." Shinjiro told the dog.

*Woof!* Koromaru looked happy.

Shinjiro looked at his pocket watch. It was cracked down the middle, with two round indents on the face. But remarkably, it still functioned. The watch read 5:45pm.

"Guess I should get going, or else Aki will get angry…See ya, boy." Shinjiro walked out his apartment.

As he was walking to the Iwatodai strip mall, he looked up at the sky. 'How are you doing, Minako? The view must be nice up there…' Shinjiro scratched his head. 'Heh, I normally don't say that sappy shit…sorry, I'm just not that type of person.' Still, he smiled…one lone tear running down his cheek. He continued walking, the breeze beginning to pick up…

~Aigis~

Within a laboratory run by the Kirijo group, a human-like robot was resting. That robot was named Aigis. After Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei went off to college, Aigis decided to stay behind in Iwatodai to assist the Kirijo group. However, while she was sleeping, she fell into a 'dream' of sorts…

"Uhh…where…am I…?" Aigis awoke and began looking around. It looked like she was in a vehicle of some sorts…possibly a car, or a train. The walls were blue. The vibe in the room felt nostalgic to Aigis. When she looked at the opposite side of the room, she saw an old man sitting in the middle. He had a long nose, and wore a black suit. He wore a creepy smile on his face. Then, Aigis began to regain her memory.

"Is this…the Velvet Room…?"

"Why, yes it is!" The old man said. "Welcome to the Velvet Room…or should I say, welcome _back_! My name is Igor, I am delighted to see you again."

'...I remember…back when we were locked in the dorm…I was here before…'

"Ahh…I see that you are regaining your memories…" Igor stated. "You were truly a remarkable guest back then! But, since then, a new wild card has awakened!"

"A new…wild card…?" Aigis was confused. "You mean…someone like Minako-san…?"

"Hehehehe…Minako Arisato was one of my most unique guests…she possessed the power of the Universe, saving the world from certain destruction. But this current wild card…his name is Souji Seta…and he possessed the power of the World, and with that power, he defeated the ancient goddess, Izanami-no-Okami. In doing so, he cleared the fog from everyone's hearts…in other words, he obliterated all humans' wishes for death." Igor said, still smiling.

"He…managed to do that…all by himself?" Aigis asked.

Igor shook his head. "Just like you and Minako-san, the bonds created between himself and his friends are what helped him accomplish his task. However, that poses a problem…"

Aigis had a confused look on her face.

"…Since humans no longer wish for death, that means that Nyx will never return. I wonder…just what good is the Great Seal, now?" Igor began laughing.

"!" Aigis stood up. "D-Does that mean…that Minako-san will be free once again?"

"Well, you catch on pretty quick! Yes, that seems to be the case. However…if she awakens naturally, she won't remember anything."

Aigis frowned. "Is there a way that we can get her to remember…?"

Igor looked at her. "Why, yes, there is!"

"What?"

"In order for her to remember, you simply have to retrieve her memories!" Igor explained.

Aigis looked confused again. "…Retrieve…her memories…?"

Igor began laughing again. "First, you must find the next Wild Card I told you about…he should be returning to Inaba soon, actually. Once you find him and explain this to him, you need the help of your friends, and his friends will need to help, as well. You especially need the help of a certain individual on your side…a certain young man whom Minako Arisato loved."

'…Shinjiro-san…'

"Once you accomplish that, bring them all here. You still have the Velvet Key, correct?"

Aigis nodded.

"Good…then, I'll explain more to you once you do that...'til we meet again…" Igor said.

"…I comprehend…"

And then, Aigis awoke. "…Souji-san…"

By then, it was morning. Aigis quickly got ready and headed for Inaba…

* * *

Well, there you have it! I actually uploaded this story faster than I had expected…which is weird because I have so much homework that my head almost exploded (literally). I'm sorry that Mitsuru's story was kinda short…I'm not that good when it comes to writing out Mitsuru's personality/lifestyle for some reason. I had fun writing Ken's story, though! And just a little heads up, the next chapter is gonna be when Aigis and Souji meet for the first time. I hope you liked it! And please review!


	2. The Wild Card: Former and Current

Ok, this chapter is basically a "Welcome Back!" for Souji-kun. To see what happens, read the chapter…I don't want to give away spoilers. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

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~Dojima Residence, Morning~

"Today, it is expected to rain from morning till late afternoon. The skies will gradually clear up towards the evening. For those that are expecting to travel by train, expect the train departure and arrival times to be slightly delayed." The weather reporter stated on the TV.

Nanako ran to the kitchen, where her father, Ryotaro Dojima, was making coffee.

"Dad, is Big Bro going to be fine? The weather reporter said that the trains might be delayed…" Nanako looked worried. Dojima patted her on the head.

"Don't worry, Nanako, Souji is will be alright…I'm certain of it."

That cheered her up a little. "I can't wait to see him…it's been 4 months since he's left…"

Dojima smiled. "Yeah…" He looked at his watch. "Hmm…since the train arrival times will be delayed, we should get there a little early to be on the safe side."

"Yay! Can we leave now? And we have to tell Big Bro's friends, too!" Nanako cheered.

"Hahaha, okay…Nanako, call the others to let them know that we'll pick them up. We can head to the train station together." Dojima laughed.

Nanako nodded and began dialing a bunch of numbers in the phone. Dojima sat down and began drinking his coffee.

Meanwhile…

~?, Morning~

A train was headed to Yasoinaba Station from the big city. It was raining heavily nonstop.

"_Due to the heavy rainfall, we are taking safetly precautions. The time of arrival will be slightly delayed…_" The announcement said.

A young man with silver-gray hair sighed as he looked out the window.

'I guess I'm going to be late…'

As he continued to look out the window, he noticed someone's reflection staring at him. He turned around to see who it was: It was a young woman. She had blonde hair, wearing a light blue dress and wore a headband of sorts. She just continued to stare at him.

"…Can I help you…?" The teenager asked.

"…Are you by any chance, Souji Seta-san…?" The young woman asked back.

The teenager stared at her. 'How did she know…?'

"…Yes, and you are?"

"My name is Aigis. I have been looking for you…" The woman named Aigis said.

"Why were you looking for me? I don't even know you." Souji looked at her suspiciously.

"You are currently on your way to Inaba, correct? To see your friends?"

Souji didn't reply. 'Who the hell is she?'

"Ah…you must be confused, correct? I comprehend…"

'…Ok, better question would be _"WHAT is she…?"_ She doesn't talk like a normal human being…'

Aigis looked in his eyes. "Would I be safe to assume that, about a year ago, you awakened as the wild card?"

"!" Souji stood up from his seat. "How do you know about that?"

"I have a mission that I must accomplish, and I require the power of the next wild card to do so…I will explain everything to you once you reunite with your friends. I may require their assistance, as well." Aigis stated. Souji still looked confused, but before he could answer, the train began to slow down.

"_We have arrived at Yasoinaba." _The announcement said.

Souji looked at Aigis. "…Fine. Come with me so you can meet my friends." Souji grabbed Aigis's hand and pulled her off the train. Her hand was cold, like metal. This caught Souji off guard.

"…So this is Yasoinaba…a dear friend of mine told me about this place…she said that it was a peaceful place famous for its hotsprings. She came here for a tennis fellowship with her teammates…" Aigis was looking around.

"Yeah…a friend of mine runs the Amagi Inn. That's probably where your friend went to the hotsprings." Souji stated.

"Big Bro!" A high voice yelled.

Souji turned his head to the source of the voice. He saw his cousin run up to him and put her arms around her.

"Nanako, I've missed you!" Souji yelled.

"I missed you too, Big Bro…" Nanako began crying.

"Nanako…you always promise that you're not going to cry…yet you do anyway…" Dojima walked up to Souji. "It's great to see you again."

Souji smiled.

"Heeey, don't forget about us!" A voice yelled.

Souji looked up, and saw all his friends: Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and Teddie.

"Hey!" Souji yelled. They all ran up to him.

"Missed ya, man! You've missed a lot since – " However, as Yosuke was about to finish his sentence, Rise pushed him out of the way.

"I…missed you so much…senpai…WAAAAAAH!" Rise began to cry.

"Ugh…there she goes again…" Chie frowned.

"Glad you're back, senpai." Kanji said.

"How have you been since you left?" Yukiko asked.

"I'm glad to see you again, senpai…" Naoto smirked, a slight blush appearing on her face.

Souji smiled at them. "I'm glad to be back…and I'm fine. I sure am tired, though…"

"…Are these your friends, Souji-san?" Aigis asked. She was standing farther away from the commotion. Souji looked at her. He must have forgotten that she was there.

"…Yeah, these are my friends." Souji smiled. Everyone else had confused looks on their faces.

"…Who's that, Souji? You're girlfriend?" Yosuke nudged his shoulder.

"No, we just met on the train." Souji said.

"That's it? It seems like she knows you, though." Kanji said.

Aigis stepped forward. "I will explain everything…is there someplace we can go so I can talk to you all in private?"

"We can go to Junes…you haven't been there in a while, huh, Senpai?" Naoto suggested.

Souji nodded. "I'm gonna go with my friends now…I'll meet you guys back at your house, okay?" He asked his uncle.

"Alright, you guys go catch up. We'll have dinner ready when you arrive…it will be take-out of course." Dojima smiled. He then took Nanako, got into the car, and drove off.

~Junes Food Court, Afternoon~

Everyone sat around the table that they used to sit at back when they were an investigation team.

"…So? What did you want to talk to us about?" Souji asked Aigis.

"…And who are you, first of all." Naoto asked.

Aigis looked at her. "My name is Aigis…I am a weapon created to destroy shadows."

Everyone gasped.

"Sh-Shadows? You mean those things that we had to fight in the TV world?" Rise's eyes widened.

"Hey, don't forget, I'm a shadow, too!" Teddie sounded hurt.

"You are a shadow? Yet you do not act hostile…are you a good shadow, or a bad shadow?" Aigis asked.

"Hmph, how rude! I am a beary good shadow…my name is Teddie!" Teddie yelled.

"…Beary…? I am afraid that I do not understand…" Aigis looked confused.

"Ah, don't worry about that…he enjoys saying bear puns, no matter how terrible they are." Yosuke grimaced.

"Anyways, please continue your story, Aigis." Naoto said.

Aigis nodded and continued. "Because I was created to destroy shadows, I was given a personality, and a persona. I was given the persona, Palladion, which later evolved into Athena. About two years ago, I was also a wild card, and Athena morphed into Orpheus."

Everyone had confused looks on their faces.

"Wait, so why are you here, then…? And what happened two years ago that they need anti-shadow weapons?" Yukiko asked.

"I will begin at the beginning…" Aigis said. "In 1999, experiments were being held on where I come from…Tatsumi Port Island."

"Tatsumi Port Island? We've been there before…we went there for a class trip. We even visited the school there…" Chie explained.

Aigis looked at her. "I will continue my story, then I will get back to your statement."

Chie's eyes widened. Aigis continued.

"As I was saying, experiments were being run by the Kirijo Group. They tried to control shadows. But…something went horribly wrong. The laboratory exploded, and the shadows got loose…that incident will forever distort the way the world worked…and thus, the Dark Hour was created."

Everyone was still confused. "The Dark Hour?"

"Yes…it happened every night at midnight. Electronic equipment would no longer work, the moon would turn yellow, the skies had a green hue. Normal people wouldn't know about it, for they would be transmogrified into coffins…however, Persona-users were well aware of the Dark Hour."

"Hmm…so there were Persona-users back then, as well?" Naoto asked. Aigis nodded.

"…I was created to destroy any shadows that were a threat to humans. I ran into an incomplete shadow, whose name…was Death…unable to fully defeat him, I had no choice but to seal him inside of a vessel…a young girl…who happened to be nearby…" Aigis looked down. "Then, in 2009, that same girl came back to the island as a transfer student. Once I saw her, I immediately knew that my priority was to protect her. I had joined the _Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad_…_SEES_."

"…SEES…?" Yosuke asked.

"SEES was a group of Persona-users who made it their mission to get rid of the Dark Hour, and to protect mankind from shadows." Aigis explained. "Once the Dark Hour disappeared, SEES was dissolved. However, we all still remained friends, and are still in contact with each other."

Everyone nodded.

"Anyways…" Aigis began. "After a series of hardships and battles…after a lot of hearbreaks…we learned that the world would soon end. We learned that _The Fall _was approaching, and Nyx was bringing it. Nyx is a goddess who brings death to this world. If Nyx were to succeed, then all life would have vanished."

Everyone gasped.

"…However, we still continued to train…getting ready to face the so-called undefeatable goddess. After all hope seemed lost…the girl whom I vowed to protect…Minako Arisato…floated towards Nyx, and defeated her with one move: The Great Seal, which sealed Nyx for all eternity."

"Wow…that girl was very brave…" Yukiko said.

"Yes…but it came with a price…she sacrificed her life to use her body as the seal. But, she managed to live until our school's graduation day in order to keep her promise to the rest of us. Soon after that…she died."

Yukiko, Chie, and Rise looked downwards. Yosuke frowned.

"…She sacrificed her life in order to save the world…" Souji frowned.

Aigis nodded. "We were depressed for a long time…but then we learned that she had to do what she did, no matter what, and that she didn't regret it. Thanks to that, most of us managed to move on."

"…Most….?" Souji asked.

"Well, I can tell that some of us are still suffering. But they are trying to put on a brave face so that Minako-san won't worry about them." Aigis frowned.

"Ok…but what does that have to do with us?" Chie asked.

Aigis stared at Souji. "…I have learned from Igor that because you defeated Izanami-no-Okami, Minako-san will be released from the seal…"

Souji's eyes widened. "You know about the Velvet Room?"

"Yes…I told you, I used to be a wild card." Aigis stated. "…Igor also told me that in order for Minako-san to regain her memories of us and what she did, we need to retrieve her memories. However, in order for me to accomplish this task, I require a number of things…one in which is the current wild card: You, Souji-san."

"Me…?" Souji looked confused.

"Yes…he said that once I retrieve you and your friends, and retrieve my friends, that he will explain everything in the Velvet Room…" Aigis said.

Souji nodded.

"Well, I'm still confused with what's going on…but if Souji is going, then I'm definitely in!" Yosuke said, smiling.

"Me too, you're not leaving me out of the fun!" Chie yelled. Yukiko agreed with Chie.

"I'm gonna stay by Senpai no matter what!" Rise said.

"I too, will go if Senpai is going…" Naoto said.

"What about you, Kanji?" Yosuke asked. Kanji looked at him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm gonna stick by Senpai too!" Kanji yelled.

"…You have no idea what's going on, huh?" Yosuke glared at him.

Kanji had a confused look on his face. "Not a clue."

"Damn, no wonder you fail in school…" Yosuke frowned.

"Shut the hell up, damn it!" Kanji yelled.

Aigis just stared at them. "…If you are done…I want to hurry. We may not have a lot of time to regain Minako-san's memories."

Souji looked at her. "Right. So, now we have to get your friends, right?"

Aigis nodded. "I would like you all to accompany me to Tatsumi Port Island. I will call all my friends to meet at Paulownia Mall, and you all can meet them. I'm sure that you will like all of them…"

"I hope we like them…I wouldn't want to work together with people that I hate or scare the crap outta me." Yosuke smiled.

"But weren't you scared of Kanji-kun when he joined?" Chie snickered. Yosuke looked annoyed.

"Hey, after that Steam Bathhouse incident, I was uncomfortable being around him…I'm fine now!"

Kanji grimaced. "Can we…not bring that up…"

Aigis cut in. "So, if you are all ready, I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

"Hold on, Aigis…first I need to confirm the situation with my uncle, then we can go." Souji stated.

"I understand…then you should go to see your uncle. If the rest of you are ready, come with me to wait at Yasoinaba Station." Aigis said. Everyone else nodded. Souji ran in the direction of Dojima's house.

~Dojima Residence, Late Afternoon~

"I'm back." Souji said. He looked exhausted.

"Ah, welcome back!" Dojima said. "Sorry…dinner's not here yet. Nanako fell asleep."

Souji smiled. "I see…umm, listen…uh…"

Dojima looked at him. "What is it?"

"Umm, you know that blonde girl that was with me at the station? Well, she said that she wants me and my friends to meet her friends at Tatsumi Port Island…" Souji explained.

Dojima's eyes widened. "Now? But you just returned…this is all too suspicious. Maybe I should take her to the station…"

"No, I trust her…" Souji said. He didn't want his uncle interrogate her regarding why she was here…it's not like he would believe her anyways. "She said that she was in a hurry and that she needs me and my friends' help to help a friend of hers…"

"And why you guys, of all people?" Dojima questioned.

Souji began to panic. 'Cause we can summon personas and she needs the help of the wild card in order to save a girl from awakening without her memories…yeah right, like he'd believe that.'

Dojima sighed. "Same old Souji…alright, I'll drive you to the station."

Souji was surprised.

"Just don't get hurt…I wouldn't want your parents to worry about you…your mom would freak." Dojima smiled sadly.

Souji smiled. "Thanks…"

"Mmhmm…" Dojima and Souji got into the car, and drove to the station.

~Yasoinaba Station~

When Souji arrived at the station, his friends and Aigis were waiting for him.

"I guess I'll see you when you get back, then…" Dojima said.

Souji nodded. "Tell Nanako that I'll be fine, and to not worry about me."

Dojima nodded and let Souji out. He then drove off.

"Souji, are you ready?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah." Souji said.

"Then…if we are all here, let us go to Tatsumi Port Island…" Aigis said. They bought their tickets, and got on the train headed to Port Island Station.

* * *

Hmmm…I realized that even though Aigis began turning more and more into a human being, I still made her sound like a robot with a monotone voice…Don't worry, that will tone down as the chapters progress. Oooh I'm so excited to write the next chapter! The characters of P4 and P3P meet each other for the first time! Thank you for reading my story, and please review!


	3. The Old and the New Come Together

Well…hmmm…I don't have to say much now. Haha I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

"_The train bound for Port Island Station will arrive in another 15 minutes."_ The announcement said.

An eerie silence filled the car where the team was seated.

"So, Aigis…what are your friends like?" Yukiko asked.

Aigis turned her head. "They are kind of like you guys, actually. I would be glad to tell you about each of them, if you would like."

Everyone nodded. Aigis continued.

"First, there is Yukari Takeba-san. She is in college right now, training to become an actress. She's also the captain of the archery club. She is nice and caring, and is usually always cheerful…just make sure you don't make her angry."

"What happens if you make her angry?" Yosuke asked.

"…You'll get kicked." Aigis said. Yosuke immediately groaned.

"Great, so she's like another Chie…" Yosuke frowned.

"What was that?" Chie yelled.

Aigis continued. "Next, there is Junpei Iori-san. He likes to think of himself as the leader of the group, and doesn't do very well in school. But, he's also very reliable and is a very good friend to all of us. He knows how to make us smile."

"Awww, he sounds so sweet! Kinda like our own Yosuke-senpai!" Rise giggled.

Yosuke blushed. "Glad to know I make you smile, Rise-chan."

"Hey, don't misunderstand. I only have eyes for Souji-senpai!" Rise then cuddled next to Souji. Souji felt uncomfortable. Yukiko and Naoto began glaring at Rise.

"Then, there's Fuuka Yamagishi-san. She's very intelligent and is good with technology. She's the one who always tries to break up conflicts between us. Back when we were SEES, she was the analyzer of the group."

"Ah, so she's like me, then!" Rise said.

"Umm, Aigis said that she was _intelligent_, Rise…" Yosuke snickered. Rise glared at him.

"Akihiko Sanada-san is strong-willed and cares deeply about all of us…he especially cared about Minako-san. He loved her."

Yukiko frowned. "So, he was sad that she died, I'm guessing?"

Aigis nodded. "Yes, but he soon made a promise that he will move on, protecting the world that Minako-san saved. So, he's currently working to become a police officer."

"Hmmm…that's a good profession for such a promise." Naoto stated.

"Mitsuru Kirijo-san is very smart. She is a sophisticated young woman and is the head of the Kirijo Group. And as long as you don't get on her bad side, she is very fun to be around…if you do get on her bad side, however, you will be executed."

Everyone stiffened.

"E-Executed…?" Kanji's eyes widened.

Aigis frowned. "I do not know what that means, exactly. But, Akihiko-san told me that Mitsuru-san's executions are a fate worse than death…"

"Wow, I just love your friends so far…" Yosuke grimaced.

"Ken Amada-san is a mature young teenager. He is very brave, and even after all that he's been through, he is still headstrong."

"Why? What did he go through?" Souji asked.

Aigis looked down. "…It was around four years ago. That's when his mother was killed."

Everyone gasped.

"That's terrible! Who would do something like that to a kid?" Rise yelled.

"…that would bring me to the last person. His name is Shinjiro Aragaki-san. He is aloof, silent most of the time, and is the one that killed Ken-san's mother."

"Wait, so the killer is also a part of SEES?" Yosuke's eyes widened.

Aigis nodded. "Back when SEES was first founded, there were only three members: Mitsuru-san, Akihiko-san, and Shinjiro-san. Shinjiro-san was the newest, and his persona…Castor…is very hard to control. So when they were pursuing a shadow loose in the city, he momentarily lost control of his persona…"

"…And it accidentally killed Ken-san's mother…" Yukiko's face saddened.

"That is correct." Aigis said. "Also, the reason Ken-san joined SEES was to get revenge on Shinjiro-san. However, someone intervened their confrontation…and shot Shinjiro-san. As the person was about to kill Ken-san, Shinjiro-san shielded Ken-san from the gunshot. As a result, he received another bullet to the chest."

"What? Why would he shield his would-be killer?" Kanji asked.

"My guess is that Shinjiro-san's guilt was eating away at him, and so in protecting Ken-san from getting killed, he was atoning for what he did to Ken-san's mother…" Aigis explained.

Everyone's faces saddened.

"Oh, and another thing about Shinjiro-san…" Aigis began. "It is imperative that he joins us in retrieving Minako-san's memories…for he had a special connection with her."

"What do you mean, 'special connection'?" Souji asked.

"…" Aigis didn't answer. Then, the train stopped.

"_We have arrived at Port Island Station."_ The announcement said.

"I have already called the others, so they should be at Paulownia Mall right about now…let's get going…" Aigis got off the train. The others looked at each other and quickly followed her.

~Paulownia Mall, Evening~

When they arrived at Paulownia Mall, it was very busy. Aigis began looking around.

"Heeeeey, Ai-chan!" A voice rang out. A young man ran up to Aigis.

"Junpei-san, it's good to see you again!" Aigis smiled.

"Yeah, good to see ya too! Hey, who're your new friends?" Junpei asked, looking at them.

"I will tell you once we find the others…" Aigis said.

"Oh, well…Fuuka-tan and Yuka-tan were just with me…" Junpei looked behind him.

"Aigis!" Fuuka and Yukari both yelled. They ran up to her and hugged her.

"It's good to see you guys…" Aigis said.

"Wow…Aigis is really loved, huh?" Yukiko stated.

"Hey, Aigis…long time no see."

Aigis looked up and saw Akihiko and Ken walking towards her.

"Ah, Akihiko-san…Ken-san." Aigis smiled. "…Where is Mitsuru-san and Shinjiro-san…?"

"Mitsuru called me saying that she wouldn't be able to make it…she's up to her head in paperwork." Akihiko explained. Aigis nodded.

"…And Shinjiro-san hasn't picked up his phone at all…I've called him twice already." Ken said.

"He's probably out of his apartment room…I noticed that whenever he's out, he leaves his phone on the counter." Akihiko said.

"By the way, Aigis…who're they?" Ken asked.

"Ah, right. These are my new friends that I met in Yasoinaba. I have a new mission, and they agreed to help me." Aigis explained.

"Mission? What kind of mission?" Yukari asked.

"…This young man…" Aigis pointed to Souji. "…defeated a goddess, and obliterated any desires for death in the hearts of humans…in doing so, Nyx will never return."

Their eyes widened.

"Then…that means…!" Yukari was holding back her tears.

"Yes…it means that the Great Seal is no longer necessary, and that Minako-san will eventually be released." Aigis smiled.

"Really? YES! Finally…" Junpei smiled.

"You mean that we get to see Minako again?" Akihiko asked, his eyes slowly filled with tears.

Aigis nodded. "However, if she should get released naturally, she will have no recollection of what she did, or who any of us are."

They all frowned.

"…But…if we were to retrieve her memories before that happens, then she will remember _everything_…"

"So, how are we going to find retrieve her memories?" Fuuka asked.

"We have to go to the Velvet Room…" Aigis said. "Igor will explain everything once he sees that the wild card, Souji-san, is with us…but…he won't tell us if Shinjiro-san is absent."

"Huh? Why?" Ken asked.

Aigis stared at the ground. "…I…"

But before she could answer, a dog ran up to her and jumped on her.

*Woof!*

"Ah, Koro-chan!" Aigis pet the dog.

Then, a person came up to them.

"I got your text, Aki…what did you need _me_ here for…?" The person asked in a cold tone.

'…_who is that guy? He's kinda scary…'_ Rise whispered to Chie and Yukiko.

'_I have a feeling we're about to find out…'_ Chie whispered back.

"Shinji, where were you?" Akihiko yelled.

"…None of your business. I don't have time for this shit, so if it's not important, then I'm leaving…" Shinjiro was about to leave, when Aigis grabbed his arm.

"Please…Shinjiro-san…" Aigis pleaded. "At least hear what I have to say…"

"…Tch." Shinjiro released his arm from Aigis's grip, and began to walk away.

'…That's Shinjiro…?' Souji thought.

"…Shinjiro-san…I have learned that since Nyx will not return here, that Minako-san will be released from the seal…" Aigis said to him.

"!" That stopped Shinjiro in his tracks. He turned his head to look at Aigis.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shinjiro yelled.

"…No one in the world wishes for death anymore, which means that Nyx will no longer be a threat, and the Great Seal is no longer needed." Aigis explained to him.

"It's true, Shinji…Aigis has no reason to lie." Akihiko told him.

"…However, we need to retrieve her memories in order for her to regain her memories of everything and everyone. I can't do that without your help, Shinjiro-san…" Aigis said.

"…Why do you need _my_ help?" Shinjiro asked with an unreadable expression on his face.

"…I don't know. I was told by Igor that I couldn't retrieve her memories without your assistance, and that he'll explain everything to you once we go to the Velvet Room…" Aigis said.

"…Tch. Why would you want her to retrieve her memories, anyway?" Shinjiro questioned.

Everyone had confused looks on their faces.

"…What do you mean by that, Shinji?" Akihiko looked angry.

"…Why? Don't you want her to remember you, as well?" Aigis asked.

"Not if it means her remembering _everything_." Shinjiro said rather bluntly.

Aigis looked hurt.

"Shinjiro-san, how can you say that?" Ken yelled.

"…Don't you remember everything she's had to endure? Everything that made her sad…? Why would you want her to remember all that crap she's been through?" Shinjiro yelled.

"…Shinji…I understand that you want her to be happier by having her not remember any of that…" Akihiko said, realizing what Shinjiro meant. "…But, we want her to remember all of us. She's strong, and she can get through it."

Shinjiro glared at him. "You people are that selfish, huh? I want no part of it…" Shinjiro left. However, Souji noticed that when he said that, a tear rolled down Shinjiro's cheek.

"Eh, Shinji!" Akihiko yelled.

"Senpai…" Yukari and Fuuka frowned. Ken looked down at his feet.

"…I guess that we won't be able to acquire Minako-san's memories, afterall…" Aigis began crying. "I know that I'm selfish in wanting her to remember, but…"

"It's alright Aigis…I'll talk to Shinji." Akihiko said to her.

"Umm…if you don't mind, I'd like to have a talk with Shinjiro-san." Souji asked.

Everyone was surprised.

"Senpai, you hardly know him!" Rise yelled.

"Yeah, are you sure you want to get involved? He seemed kinda…scary." Yosuke cringed.

"…I have a feeling I know why he doesn't want her to regain her memories." Souji said.

"!" Akihiko was surprised. 'Like Minako, this Souji kid seems to be good at reading someone else's feelings.'

"…Akihiko-san, do you have an idea where Shinjiro-san went?" Souji asked.

Akihiko began thinking. "He usually hangs out in the back alley of Port Island Station."

"I'll be back in a little bit." And with that, Souji ran off towards the direction of the station.

"…Does he have any idea what he's getting himself into? _Who_, for that matter?" Akihiko smiled sadly.

"…No, but we can trust him. Senpai is a reliable person, you have my word." Naoto said. "But off topic, Akihiko-san, I heard that you are training to be a police officer?"

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah…I made a promise to Minako."

Naoto nodded. "I understand. If you do become a police officer, I would love to help you on some of your cases, if you wish."

Akihiko looked surprised. "…Do you want to be a police officer, too?"

"Naoto-kun is a detective who works on many hard cases." Yosuke told him.

"A detective? At _his_ young age?" Akihiko's eyes widened.

"Yeah, we were caught off guard, too…oh, and Naoto-kun is actually a girl…" Yosuke smirked.

"…Must you tell everyone?" Naoto glared at him.

"But it's true…" Yosuke said.

Yukari and Fuuka began to laugh. "Hey, while we're waiting for Souji-kun to return, how about going shopping?"

"Oooh I want to see what kind of clothes they have here!" Rise yelled. She grabbed Chie and Yukiko and dragged them along.

"Come on, you guys! You're going to carry all of our bags!" Rise yelled. Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie groaned.

"I wish we went with Sensei…" Teddie said.

"Come on!" Fuuka and Yukari ran after them.

Ken looked at Naoto. "You're not going with them? I thought that girls like to shop…"

Naoto stared at him. "…This girl doesn't like to do those kinds of things. I prefer to read detective novels."

Ken nodded. "Oh, I see."

Ken and Naoto decided to walk over to the arcade.

"Akihiko-san, I hope that Shinjiro-san changes his mind…" Aigis said, looking down.

"Don't worry, Aigis…Souji-san's friends seem to believe in him, so I will too." Akihiko said. Aigis smiled.

~Back Alley, Late Evening~

Shinjiro was standing by himself, looking at the sky. A figure emerged.

"…What do you want?" Shinjiro asked Souji. Souji walked towards him.

"Did you mean what you said?" Souji asked.

"…" Shinjiro didn't answer him.

"…You loved Arisato-san, didn't you? That's why you don't want her to remember all the hardships she had to go through…?" Souji asked.

"!" Shinjiro glared at him. Souji didn't budge.

"It doesn't matter what had happened…your friends want her to remember them. And I know that secretly, you do, too." Souji said.

"You don't know anything about Minako! Do you know what she went through?" Shinjiro yelled.

"Calm the hell down!" Souji yelled back.

"…!" Shinjiro tried to calm himself. "…You don't know what she went through…"

Souji nodded. "Maybe not…but Aigis told me that Arisato-san had a heart of gold…that she always looked to the bright side of things, and that she remained cheerful even after all she's been through. So who's to say that she will change if she regains her memories…?"

"…" Shinjiro remained silent.

Souji continued. "…When you said that everyone was selfish for wanting Arisato-san to regain her memories, I noticed that you began to cry."

"…!" Shinjiro was surprised that Souji had noticed that.

"…So that leads me to believe that in your heart, you want Arisato-san to regain her memories of you…even if it brings back those painful memories along with it." Souji stated.

Shinjiro looked at Souji. "…I…" He clenched his fists together. "…I'll help you guys retrieve Minako's memories. Can you leave me alone now…?"

Souji nodded. "I'll tell the others, then…" Souji was about to leave, but looked back at Shinjiro. "…Believe in Arisato-san, Shinjiro-san. I'm sure that she would worry to see you like this…" And with that, Souji left.

"…" Shinjiro didn't respond. '…I do believe in Minako…I can't believe that it took me till now to realize it. I guess I'm the idiot this time, huh?'

Shinjiro looked down at his feet, and began to cry.

* * *

Well, this chapter kinda put Shinjiro out of character towards the end, didn't it? I'm sorry I didn't put Mitsuru in this chapter. I just thought that she'd be busy being the head of the Kirijo group, plus I have trouble coming up with dialogue for her. Next chapter will most likely be a visit to the Velvet Room, and possibly a hang out "get to know each other" chapter. So, I hope that you all liked this chapter, and please review!


	4. The Labyrinth of Memories

Ugh, I did not like how this chapter began. I must have had serious writer's block, cause I couldn't think of any way to start off this chapter. So, I apologize ahead of time if the beginning is a little...dry. I hope that you all like the rest of the chapter, though. I thank everyone who is reading and reviewing my story, I really appreciate it! I give special thanks to _Xoraan_, who gave me awesome tips and ideas for writing my story, so thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Paulownia Mall, Afternoon~

Near the back of Paulownia Mall, there was an alley way. Aigis and the others, including Shinjiro, were walking in the direction of the Velvet Room.

"Why the hell are we going to a dead end alley way?" Shinjiro asked.

Aigis looked at him. "This is the alternate way to the Velvet Room. We've all been there before, right?"

Shinjiro stared at her. "You mean that weird elevator that we were transported to before we left the dorm?"

Aigis nodded. Once they got to the end, Aigis took out a glowing key from her dress pocket. She opened the door, and a bright light enveloped them all. Next thing they knew, they were in the Velvet Room.

~Velvet Room~

When they entered, there was a table with two chairs in front of it. A sofa was on the opposite side of the table. Sitting on the sofa, was an old man with a long nose. His assistants were nowhere in sight.

"Ah, welcome to the Velvet Room! I see that we have all of our guests present! I believe you all already know me, but my name is Igor. I am delighted to see you all again!" Igor smirked. Aigis and Souji each took a seat in a chair, the others stood around them.

"Now that everyone is present, I will gladly answer any questions that you may have!" Igor stated.

Aigis looked at him. "How will we go about finding Minako-san's memories? And why do I need Shinjiro-san and Souji-san in order to do so?"

Igor began laughing. "Minako Arisato's memories are being kept in a place that even I am aware of! The path to reaching her memories can only be done with the help of the wild card, which is why you needed Souji Seta's help! Of course, even if that path is shown to you, you will need a guide through this journey, or else you might just be lost for all eternity! And we certainly do not want that!"

"Well, who's going to be our guide, then?" Junpei asked.

"Patience! That will be revealed once you find the place you are looking for!" Igor said. "Her memories are like a labyrinth...intertwined with one another, until they finally connect at one common point! I hope you will keep that in mind!"

Everyone began looking at each other.

"What do you mean by that?" Souji asked.

"In due time. Now then...once you find the place you are searching for, let me warn you that whoever enters the place will in turn remember past events involving themselves! It might be a happy moment, a sad moment, a joyful moment, or even a heartbreaking/traumatizing moment! And that goes for _everyone_, not just for Arisato's friends!" Igor stated.

Aigis nodded. "How long will we have to complete this task?"

Igor smiled. "The Great Seal, I predict, will be released in one year. As the days go on, the seal will get weaker and weaker. You must bring her memories back to her body before the seal is fully broken! And that's where _this_ young man comes into the picture!" Igor stared at Shinjiro. Shinjiro stared at Igor with an unreadable expression on his face.

Igor continued. "I'm pretty sure most of you were aware of his relationship to Arisato? Therefore, he's the only one that can transfer the memories to her!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Why him?" Akihiko yelled.

Igor raised an eyebrow. "From my sources, it's true that this man shared the most memories with Arisato...even some memories that the rest of you were unaware of! Once you meet your guide, he will tell you the rest of the details!" Igor began laughing again.

"...Tch." Shinjiro looked away from the rest of the group, who were now staring intently at him. Souji looked at Igor.

"I have one more question: Where's Margaret?"

Igor looked at him. "Margaret has a mission of her own at the moment! Most recently, my assistant, Theodore, has left without a word. Therefore, Margaret and her younger sister Elizabeth are currently looking for him as we speak! They are siblings, afterall!"

Souji nodded. Aigis nodded as well.

"Very well, then until we meet again, I bid you all a fond farewell! I hope that you succeed in time..." Igor said. Then, the walls of the Velvet Room became blurry, and the door disappeared. Everyone appeared in the middle of Paulownia Mall.

"Well, that was the most confusing shit I've ever heard." Kanji stated, scratching his head.

"At least now, we know what we must do." Aigis told everyone. "But, we still have to find the place where Minako-san's memories are kept. Do you have an idea to where it is, Souji-san...?"

Souji pulled out a wild card from his pocket. "I'm getting a faint sense as to where it is...but it's still unclear. Was there a place that was special to Minako-san? Like a place she always went?"

The members of SEES began thinking.

"The only place I can think of is the dorm, but it's closed down. And that's where the Abyss of Time was..." Yukari frowned.

"Hey, what about Naganaki Shrine? I always saw her pray there, or hang out with a few of her friends there. That's also where she's buried." Junpei said.

Souji shook his head. "That's in Iwatodai, correct? I don't sense anything on that end. I sense something pretty close...like on Tatsumi Port Island..."

"What about the Moonlight Bridge? That's where "Death" got sealed within Minako-chan, and where her parents were killed..." Fuuka said.

Souji shook his head. "I don't think that's it, either...it's closer."

"But, that only leaves Gekkoukan High School...and I highly doubt Minako had any good memories there..." Akihiko frowned.

"But, that's the only place left...so it has to be there, right?" Yukari looked at everyone, then stopping her eyes at Shinjiro.

"Shinjiro-senpai, is there any place you can think of at the school where Minako might have been that was memorable?"

Shinjiro glared at her. "How the hell should I know?"

Akihiko looked at him. "...You love her...am I right? So, quit acting like you want nothing part of this, and start thinking!"

After a brief pause, Shinjiro looked at Souji.

"...Try the school's roof..."

Everyone gasped.

"The school's roof! How could we have missed that?" Junpei smiled.

"Come on, everyone, let's go!" Aigis yelled. They all ran to Gekkoukan High School...

~School Roof~

When they got to the school's roof, they were shocked: At the front of the roof, where it overlooked all of Iwatodai, there was a huge door, chains intertwined within it. On the front of the door, were three angelic-looking figures: A girl with butterfly wings was looking into the eyes of a young man with one white angel wing. And another young man with four black angel wings was reaching out to the girl. Everyone thought that the picture was too ominous to be a coincidence.

"...Doesn't the girl look an awful lot like Minako...?" Yukari questioned. As everyone took a closer look, they did think that there was a huge resemblance.

"Then...that must mean that the young man she's looking at is..." Ken looked in Shinjiro's direction. Shinjiro averted Ken's stare, and continued looking at the door.

"But...who's the one reaching out to Minako? He has four black angel wings...so does that mean he's a _fallen angel_...?" Akihiko asked. Naoto took a closer look at the figure.

"Well, judging by the wings, I'm assuming that he is indeed a fallen angel...and by his facial expression, I can only assume that he is, or at least, was, very close to Minako-san. Maybe a friend of hers who died, perhaps?" Naoto said.

As Aigis began inspecting the figure as well, her eyes widened. "W-wait...this person is...!"

Just then, the huge door opened. Everyone immediately went into a battle stance, not knowing who, or what, would come out of the door. Then, they caught sight of someone they hadn't expected to see.

"Long time no see." A young man stepped out of the door. He was pale-faced, his black hair was sleeked back (with the exception of one lone strand sticking up), and he wore a yellow scarf around his neck. He put his hand over his heart, and smiled.

"R-Ryoji-kun!" Yukari was shocked. Fuuka and Junpei just stared at him.

"Wh-what are you doing here...?" Aigis was on edge.

"Aww, is that anyway to speak to a friend?" Ryoji looked downwards.

"Who is this person...?" Souji asked.

Akihiko looked at him. "He was a shadow who was sealed inside of Minako for ten years. When he awoke, he brought the Fall along with him."

"Seriously?" Yosuke's eyes widened.

"So, he's like me, then? Cause I'm a shadow, too..." Teddie said.

"Well, actually...I'm the embodiment of all shadows." Ryoji corrected them.

"But...back to the matter at hand...what are you doing here?" Aigis asked. Ryoji looked at her.

"Minako gave me the mission of leading you through the _Labyrinth of Memories_. That's what this giant door leads to, and where all of Minako's memories are being kept." Ryoji explained.

"Right...we have the current Wild Card, Souji-san, here with us. We also have Shinjiro-san here...do those meet the requirements to enter...?" Aigis asked.

Ryoji nodded. "...However, I'm afraid that you can only enter this place at night, since a lot of her memories took place during the Dark Hour. Don't worry, the Dark Hour won't return."

"But then, how will we get into the school? It's locked at night!" Yukari yelled.

"Well, Mitsuru is the head of the Kirijo Group, who runs the school. I'll give her a call whenever we decide to go to this place." Akihiko said.

"...Well, I say that we call it a day, and come back here tomorrow night...I'm tired." Yosuke frowned. Everyone stared at him.

"Why would we wait till tomorrow? It's right here, let's just get this over with so we can see Minako-tan again!" Junpei yelled.

Ryoji shook his head. "No, the young man is right. You guys should preserve your strength. How bout we hang out somewhere? I'm starving!" And with that, Ryoji took off, the door closing behind him.

"Alright, but what should we do?" Ken asked.

Ryoji began thinking. "Hmmm...well, I heard from Minako that Shinjiro-san is an excellent cook. Can you make me something? It's felt like years since I last ate a decent meal..."

Shinjiro glared at him. "I'm not your damn personal chef!"

"Well, we can make something for ya, right, Yukiko?" Chie asked. Yukiko nodded.

"Ooh, I wanna help, too!" Rise cheered.

Yosuke grimaced. "We just got here, and we _already_ have to eat _Mystery Food X_?"

Chie kicked him in between the legs.

"OWWWW!" Yosuke fell to the floor.

"Hah! Serves you right!" Chie, Yukiko, and Rise walked off, not looking back.

"Nngh...If _that_ keeps up, I'm gonna need reconstruction surgery..." Yosuke winced.

Souji helped him up.

"That's what you get for making fun of 'em, Senpai." Kanji grinned.

"Oh, I'll help you, Senpai." Naoto helped Souji carry Yosuke's weight. Souji smiled at her.

"Thanks."

Naoto blushed. The three of them walked off. Kanji sulking right behind them. Teddie ran after them as well.

"Ouch...that looked like it hurt..." Junpei winced.

"Huh...I like Chie-chan's style. Maybe I should try it on you sometime, Junpei." Yukari looked at him.

"...Oh, hell no..." Junpei ran off as fast as he could.

Yukari and Fuuka both giggled and ran after him.

"So, I guess it's decided that Shinji will cook for all of us. Just make sure that it's delicious, alright?" Akihiko said to Shinjiro.

Shinjiro frowned. "...I'm not the one who can't even make a single dish right. I thought that Fuuka was bad, but you..." Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.

Akihiko scratched his head. "Well, I don't watch the Family Cooking Show like you guys do..." He smirked.

Shinjiro gave him a nasty glare. "Shut up..."

"...Hey, where's Koro?" Ken asked.

Shinjiro looked at him. "I left him back at the apartment...he was tired, so I let him rest."

Ken looked worried. "That's not like Koromaru...I hope he's alright."

"He'll be fine. He was basically running around like crazy at the shrine a day before."

Shinjiro put his hand on Ken's shoulder.

"Hey, come on, ya slowpokes! Shinjiro-senpai, our food isn't gonna cook itself!" Junpei yelled.

"...I never agreed to making you all food..." Shinjiro said, a faint smile appearing on his face. Akihiko and Ken laughed.

"Looks like you're making us food, then, Shinjiro-san." Ken smiled.

"...Ugh." Shinjiro frowned and slowly walked back down. Akihiko and Ken followed him.

As Aigis was about to leave, she looked back at the door.

'...Don't worry, Minako-san...we'll make sure that we retrieve all of your memories...so you don't have to worry...'

Aigis left the roof.

~Shinjiro's Apartment, Evening~

The team, including Ryoji, was seated around the TV, waiting for dinner to be ready. Yukiko, Chie, Rise, Fuuka, and Shinjiro were in the kitchen.

"Aragaki-senpai, I made sure to measure all of the ingredients beforehand." Fuuka said proudly. Shinjiro nodded.

"Good...at least you got somewhat better than back then..." Shinjiro smiled sadly.

"Hey, uh...Shinjiro-san..." Chie began. "This doesn't look right..." As she took the plate out of the oven, there was some kind of burnt substance on it, probably the remnants of whatever it was she was cooking. A pained look appeared on Shinjiro's face.

"...This feels like two years ago all over again...Isn't there any girl around here that can cook somewhat good?" Shinjiro frowned. He grabbed the mystery food from Chie and threw it away.

"Start over. And this time, read the instructions. I have a bookshelf of cookbooks over there...just grab one and make something..." Shinjiro said and continued to cook some sweet and sour pork.

Yukiko was busy cooking something as well. "How's this, Aragaki-san?"

Shinjiro looked at her and went over to where she was cooking. He looked down and saw that she made omelet and fried rice. '...This brings back memories...' He thought as he tasted it. It was actually pretty good.

"...Not bad. You can cook better than this one at least." He said as he eyed Chie.

Yukiko smiled. "R-Really? Oh thank goodness...omelet and fried rice is pretty much the only thing I _can_ cook..."

"I'm done, Shinjiro-san!" Rise cheered. "Taste some!"

Shinjiro stared at her. 'This girl...she reminds me of Minako...' He smiled sadly.

"...What did you make?" Shinjiro asked.

"Curry...I like my food spicy, so I hope it's not too spicy for the others..." Rise smiled.

Shinjiro put a spoonful of the curry in his mouth. "*cough* It might be a little too spicy..." He tried his best to maintain his calm composure and reached for a glass of water.

Rise sighed. "Darn...ok, I'll try again."

"Hey, is the food ready yet?" Junpei yelled.

"Yeah, come on Shinji, we're starving!" Akihiko yelled.

Shinjiro glared at them. "Don't you guys know the meaning of patience? Damn, even Koro-chan can sit quietly for one hour!"

That must have scared them, cause after that, no one complained.

"Everything looks good..." Souji and Naoto walked over to the kitchen.

"Oooh Senpai! Can you try my new batch of curry? My first one was too spicy..." Rise asked. Souji was hesitant at first, but nodded. He took a bite.

"Hmm...This is actually pretty good!" Souji said and ate some more.

Rise's eyes were sparkling. "Yay! Hearing that from you makes me feel so much better, Senpai!" Rise hugged Souji. Souji had an uncomfortable look on his face, especially when Yukiko was throwing dagger glares at Rise.

"...Senpai, you're a good cook, aren't you? Maybe you should take over for them. I wouldn't want to try this _Mystery Food X_ that Yosuke-senpai keeps going on about." Naoto said, in an effort to get Yukiko and Rise away from Souji.

Yukiko and Rise glared at her. Shinjiro looked at Souji.

"...You can cook?"

Souji nodded. "Somewhat...I'm better than the rest of them, anyway."

Shinjiro handed him an apron. "Then start cooking. With these three cooking, we won't get done till tomorrow night. And don't make a mess...I have too much shit to clean up as it is."

Souji nodded and began cooking.

"Is there anything I can help with, Aragaki-san?" Naoto asked.

Shinjiro stared at her. "...If you ask me, I think you just want to spend time with this guy over here." He said, pointing to Souji. Naoto's eyes widened, and she began blushing from embarrassment. "...Fine, you can take over with whatever Satonaka was making." Chie sighed and handed Naoto her apron. Chie walked to where everyone else was sitting.

"Umm, Senpai...what are you going to make?" Naoto asked.

Souji looked at her. "I'm not sure yet...what do you like to eat, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto averted his gaze. "W-Well, I like pork cutlet..."

He smiled. "Then I'll make that."

Yukiko looked at them. "Umm, Souji-kun...I like teriyaki chicken..."

Souji looked at Yukiko and smiled as well. "I'll make some of that, too."

Yukiko smiled. She then glared at Naoto, who was smirking at her almost mockingly.

Shinjiro was scratching his head as he watched. '...Damn love-struck idiots...' He smiled wistfully.

**About 3 hours later...**

"Dinner's ready everyone!" Rise yelled.

Everyone walked into the dining room and saw a variety of delicious looking food.

"Mmmm...it smells so good!" Yukari said.

"It's all thanks to Aragaki-san and Souji-kun." Yukiko stated.

Shinjiro had an embarrassed look on his face. He pulled his beanie over his eyes.

"...By the way, weren't you cooking as well, Chie-chan?" Yosuke smirked.

"Ugh, I was kicked out...I guess I'm not that good a chef afterall..." Chie's face saddened.

Yosuke's eyes widened. "And it took you till NOW to realize it?"

Chie glared at him. "Well, sorry if my cooking wasn't good enough back then! I thought I had at least improved!"

As Yosuke and Chie were going at it, Junpei was smiling.

"Soooo, are you two in love?" He asked.

"HELL NO!" Yosuke and Chie both yelled. They continued to yell at each other.

"Pffffft...Hahahahaha!" Yukiko broke out into laughter.

"Uh, is she gonna be alright...?" Ken asked, worried. That caused Yosuke and Chie to stop fighting.

"Yeah, that happens a lot...you'll have to get used to it..." Chie sighed.

They continued to eat.

"This is so good!" Ryoji yelled as he was plowing the food into his mouth. "It's been forever since I had food this good!"

"I'm glad you like it, Ryoji-san." Yukiko said.

"No really, this is some good food...the last time I ate something this good was when Minako would take me out to eat somewhere...any food I ate around her tasted good..." Ryoji smiled sadly.

This caused an uncomfortable silence.

"...You were really close to Minako, weren't you...?" Yukari asked. Junpei and Fuuka frowned.

"...Yeah. She was the only one I loved...the only one I wanted. I told her those exact words, and she smiled. I even asked if she could stay by my side forever, and she touched my hand and nodded, still smiling..." Ryoji said.

At that point, Shinjiro couldn't take anymore. He got up and went down the hall to his bedroom, and closed the door.

"Shinji!" Akihiko yelled. He sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't realize that it would upset him that much..." Ryoji apologized.

Akihiko shook his head. "You don't have to apologize...Shinji just misses her, is all. Even though he refused to admit it, we all knew that he loved Minako..." Akihiko smiled sadly. "But...did she really tell you that she would stay by your side forever...?"

Ryoji nodded. "Yeah...she smiled sadly when I told her, as if she knew that it would be a mistake to be with me. But, when I remembered who I was, and why I felt so attached to her...she still smiled, as if she wasn't hurt by it, or regretted it. And then, on New Year's Eve two years ago, she refused to kill me. Even after I showed her my true form and told her that she would suffer greatly if she didn't kill me...she still refused. I...I wanted her to remember me for who I was as a human, and not who I was as the embodiment of all shadows. So, I asked her to touch me...to make sure I existed." Ryoji looked down. "...She gently caressed my hand, still smiling. As proof that I was human, and that I loved her...I gave her my ring. She was happy when I gave it to her..."

Everyone frowned, looking down.

"...That's why...I want her to be happy with the people she can actually spend time with. I might be in my human form now...but I might just turn into something inhuman once all this is over...just like last time. I-I don't want to hurt her again." Tears rolled down Ryoji's cheeks. "Even if I would like to spend the rest of my time with her, in that dark empty space called the Great Seal...I know that she would be happier here...with all of her friends, old and possibly even new." He said, looking at Souji and the others. "...And I know that she would be especially happy to see Shinjiro-san again...and to live life with him..."

Akihiko looked at him. "...Ryoji..."

Ryoji wiped the tears from his eyes. "No...it's alright. I promised Minako that I would help you guys retrieve her memories. And I would never back down from a promise with her." Ryoji smiled. "Tomorrow evening, at midnight, I will show you all the inside to the _Labyrinth of Memories_, and to the first ordeal you must face..."

"So, this Labyrinth...it will show us all the memories we've had with Minako?" Yukari asked.

Ryoji nodded. "And after you see those memories, I will transfer them into Shinjiro's memory as well...for he's the only one that can give them back to Minako. But...those aren't the only memories you'll be facing...because this place manifests memories from whoever enters, there's a possibility that memories of the new members will show up as well...memories that meant something to them as a whole."

Everyone looked at each other.

"So, that means that we might relive memories that we've had as well?" Yosuke asked.

Ryoji nodded. "There is a possibility that might happen. Most likely they will be memories back when you all investigated that serial murder case in Inaba."

Yosuke frowned. "Great...we have to live through _that_ again..."

"...Do I...have to go in that place too? I don't want to relive _that_ hell I went through..." Kanji said, frowning.

"Aww come on, if we got through it once, we can do it again!" Teddie cheered.

"Do you really think so?" Yukiko asked.

"Fo'sho!" Teddie smiled. "Now as for me...I hope that we relive the last time we visited this place...when we played King's Game and..." Hearts were literally flying out of Teddie's head. Kanji tackled him.

"Aww no! No way in hell am I reliving that damn event!" Kanji yelled.

Souji started laughing. "I remember that event... Sorry, but I'm gonna have to side with Kanji-kun on that one..."

The others looked confused.

"What happened during that time?" Ken asked. They all looked at him.

"Uh, nothing...!" Kanji yelled, blushing from embarrassment.

They all began laughing more.

Meanwhile, in a certain room at the end of the hall, Shinjiro was listening to that whole conversation.

'...Looks like everyone had good memories while I was unconcious...Even Minako...thanks to that Ryoji...' Shinjiro bit his lip. '...That's good. After all, people can move on and live as long as they have good memories to look back on. That must be why Ryoji is trying so hard to fulfill Minako's promise to him. Tch, I should be able to move on in life as well...yet, here I am...still unable to accept the fact that she gave her life to protect this world...and that she saved me, who should be dead right now...' He reached into his pocket and held Minako's mp3 player firmly in his hand. '...Don't worry, Minako...if what Ryoji says is true...I will help fulfill your wish as well...and I will help you get your memories back..._I promise_...'

Shinjiro closed his door and went to sleep.

* * *

Well, I hoped you liked it! I tried my best to incorporate the implied love triangle of Naoto/Souji/Yukiko, as well as adding the funny cooking scenes. I laughed throughout all the cooking scenes from P3P and P4, so I figured "why not add some to my story!" I also wanted to imply the relationship of RyojixMinako, cause that relationship was so sweet, yet so tragic at the same time...they were Star-Crossed Lovers...destined not to be together. That made me sad, so I wanted Ryoji to have some love as well. I hope you liked this chapter, and please review!


	5. Memories of Tennis

Ok, this chapter is their first visit into the Labyrinth of Memories! This chapter, I hope, will also explain more as to how the whole system of memory retrieval will go...I hope it makes sense, cause it confused me for a short time, too *sweat drop*. Hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Shinjiro's Room, Morning~

"*yawn*" Shinjiro woke up, got dressed, and got out of bed. He walked to his kitchen, where Koromaru was waiting for him.

*woof!* Koromaru greeted him.

Shinjiro smiled. "Hey, boy. Did you have fun last night?"

Koromaru wagged his tail. *Woof!*

"That's good..." Shinjiro's smile faded. '...Tonight will be our first exploration of the _Labyrinth of Memories_...our memories of Minako...'

*Ring ring* It was then that Shinjiro received a text message. It was from Akihiko.

_Hey. There's a film festival going on and we were planning on going to the movies if you're interested. Meet us there._

Shinjiro sighed. He replied with a short "_Not interested". _'The one and only film festival I went to was when Minako took me...I hated the movie being played.' A faint blush appeared on Shinjiro's face. He then walked out the door, buying some time until midnight came around.

...

...

~Gekkoukan Rooftop, Midnight~

"Is everyone here?" Ryoji asked. Everyone nodded. "Good, then shall we proceed?" As he said that, the huge door released its chains and opened. A staircase appeared at the entrance. Ryoji was walking up the staircase.

"...Is it alright to be here? This feels like unlawful entry..." Yukari asked.

Akihiko looked at her. "I called Mitsuru to let her know, and she allowed us to enter without punishment."

Yukari nodded and proceeded up the staircase, followed by Akihiko, Junpei, Fuuka, and Ken.

*Woof!* Koromaru began barking excitedly.

"Why is Koromaru here? Isn't he going to get hurt by whatever it is we're going to face?" Yukiko asked.

"...Koromaru is a Persona user, just like the rest of us. He deserves to see all this too." Shinjiro said with an uninterested tone.

"H-How can a dog be a Persona user?" Yosuke's eyes widened.

Shinjiro ignored his question and went up the stairs. Koromaru followed him.

"...He ignored you, Yosuke." Souji said. Yosuke glared at him and ran up the stairs. Souji smirked and went up the stairs as well. The others followed them. Aigis was the last to enter, and the door closed behind them.

~Labyrinth of Memories~

"W-What the hell? We're locked in!" Kanji yelled.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that once you enter, you won't be able to leave unless you retrieve a memory." Ryoji said.

"...Now he tells us..." Yosuke frowned.

"It doesn't matter now...let's just find Minako's memories and get this shit over with." Shinjiro said.

"..." Akihiko stared at him. Shinjiro averted his gaze.

"Right. Follow me." Ryoji began walking down a narrow hallway, with everyone else following him. "As you can see, there are many doors. Through each door is a part of a memory that Minako left behind. Each room has a name, which is the person that Minako spent that memory with. Only that person has the power to open up the door. The minor memories will appear first, followed by the more meaningful memories."

Everyone nodded. Ryoji stopped at the first door. On the front of the door, there was writing. It read "Yukiko Amagi".

"What? M-Me...?" Yukiko was shocked, as was the rest of them.

"You must have met her when she traveled to Yasoinaba for a tennis fellowship...she did mention that she stayed at the Amagi Inn." Aigis explained.

"Would you open the door, please?" Ryoji asked. Yukiko nodded and opened the door. Soon, a rush of energy came bursting out, surrounding the team. It then directed itself at Yukiko. Her eyes closed, and everyone saw the memories of that day...

...

...

**Memories of Tennis...**

_Minako, Rio, and the rest of the tennis team were standing in front of Yasoinaba High School. Their tennis team was standing outside._

_"What a rustic school..." Ms. Kanou stated. "There's no convenience stores nearby, and no clubs, either...I want you all to be on your best behavior, okay?"_

_"It's nice to meet you." The students of Gekkoukan said._

_"It's a pleasure for us, too!" The Yasoinaba members yelled._

_~Tennis Court~_

_"Let's start off with basic drills." Rio said. "Might as well try going all the way to the mountains for our runs. Our region's pretty flat, so this'll be good practice."_

_The Yasoinaba members began looking at each other. "...Aren't we supposed to like, bond in a fellowship? Why's she bringing up stuff like basic drills...?"_

_The Gekkoukan students weren't paying attention, either. "Who's the liar who said that this'd be a paradise with hot springs...?"_

_Rio continued. "Afterwards, let's do a couple sets of muscle training, and then a match."_

_"How about...the losing side cleans up afterwards?" A girl's voice shouted._

_"Whoa, Yuko? What are you doing here?" Rio said, surprised._

_Yuko came running up to everyone. "I've got my reasons. Anyways, wouldn't you guys take the challenge more seriously if there was something at stake?"_

_"That's true..." Minako agreed._

_"It's not like you guys care about winning anyways, so why not?" Yuko smirked._

_"...Are you saying that's how our team is?" Rio questioned. "Well, maybe you're right. Alright, then not only will the losing school have to clean up...let's add 10 wind sprints to the bet!"_

_"It's up to 10...?" The Gekkoukan students yelled._

_"We can't lose!" The Yasoinaba students yelled._

_As a result..._

_Yuko was panting like crazy. "Whewwww...we're finally finished cleaning up..."_

_"Okay, time for the sprints, then!" Rio sounded excited._

_'How can she be so excited about that...?' Minako thought, giggling._

_"...Me too?" Yuko didn't sound too thrilled._

_Rio nodded. "Of course. This was your idea."_

_"Yes, ma'am..." Yuko sighed. They began running. And with that, the fellowship came to a close._

_~Yasoinaba High School, Front Gate~_

_"I guess they prepared an inn for us to stay at..." Minako said._

_Rio nodded. "Did you hear they have a natural hot spring there? Wanna wash each other's backs later?"_

_Minako began thinking. "Sounds like fun!"_

_"This is so fun! Last year's fellowship wasn't too far from our school." Rio smiled. "This place is so laid back...I love it. That shopping district seems pretty lively, though. What a peaceful town...it'd be nice to live here."_

_At that moment, a girl walked up to Minako and Rio. There wasn't much expression to her face._

_"Are you club members from Gekkoukan High School?" The girl asked. "The Amagi Inn sent me to get you."_

_That took Rio by surprise. "Huh? Oh, th-thank you very much. Um...you don't work there, do you?"_

_The girl shook her head. "No, I'm just helping out. I'm Yukiko Amagi, the daughter of the hostess at the Amagi Inn."_

_"The hostess's daughter...so does that make you a junior hostess? Cool!" Yuko yelled. "Oh, are you in high school?"_

_Once again, Yukiko shook her head. "No...I'm still in middle school."_

_"You're in middle school and you're already helping with the family business...? Man, talk about responsible..." Yuko frowned. "So are you going to inherit the business?"_

_Yukiko tensed up a little by the question. "That...I don't know yet."_

_Minako looked at her. '...Does she not want to inherit her family's business...?'_

_Rio cut in. "...Hey, don't stick your nose in other people's business!"_

_Yuko frowned. "Yes, Ma'am...sorry. People are always telling me I'm nosy..."_

_"Oh, it's alright...it's fun chatting with people from outside town..." Yukiko said._

_Just then, a woman came running up to them. She looked in Yukiko's direction. _

_"Ah, Yuki-chan! Did you take the car keys?" The woman asked her._

_Yukiko looked confused. "Oh, Kasai-san. Car keys...?" She reached inside her pocket. "Why would I...huh? What's this?" As she pulled her hand out, she also pulled out what looked like car keys. "I-I'm so sorry. I must've mistaken them for my house keys..."_

_"No worries. Well, I'm heading out to get some groceries." The woman said._

_"Oh, do you want me to go instead?" Yukiko asked._

_The woman shook her head. "N-No, that's fine! No need to send you on that kind of errand, Yuki-chan! Plus, they'd be too heavy for you...by the way, Chie-chan stopped by. She said she needed help with her homework."_

_"Oh, okay." Yukiko said._

_The woman then noticed Minako, Rio, and Yuko. "...Oh, are you all guests? Forgive me for rambling on like that. I'm a waitress at the Amagi Inn. I hope you enjoy your stay tonight."_

_The woman left._

_Yukiko looked back at the others. "I'm sorry about the wait. Shall we go? This way please."_

_~Amagi Inn, Evening~_

_'Wow...this room is so nice!' Minako began looking around._

_"So huge...so luxurious..." Yuko was in awe of the place. "Is it really okay for people like us to stay here? Won't we get a scolding?"_

_Minako chuckled. "From who?"_

_Yuko began to panic. "Huh? Umm...the government?"_

_"What are you talking about...?" Rio asked. "...And hey, this isn't your room, Yuko."_

_Yuko got angry. "Yeah, about that! You gotta hear this! There was some mistake, and I got stuck in the same room as Kaz!"_

_Rio began thinking. "Kaz...you mean Kazushi? Wait, he's here too?" She asked. "...Huh? Wasn't Kazushi supposed to take part in the tournament?"_

_"I was supposed to stay behind...to sort of look after him. He's injured, so we're trying a hot-springs cure!" Yuko claimed. "I'm gonna get the most out of this trip by clearing up my skin, too!"_

_"Huh...wait. Did you say that you were in the same room? Kazushi...is a guy, right?" Rio asked._

_Yuko rolled her eyes. "He's a big ol' girl on the inside, but on the outside, yeah, he's a guy. Ms. Kanou assigned the rooms, right? What the hell was she thinking?"_

_"It was probably on purpose." Minako replied._

_"Ugh, I can just see her raving about summer romances and all that crap!" Yuko said angrily. "Kaz is just a big kid to me..."_

_"By the way, Kazushi's injured...? Is he okay?" Rio asked._

_Yuko looked downwards. "No, it's pretty bad. That's why we're relying on the hot-springs cure...ugh, and that idiot didn't say anything about it for the longest time. Thanks to that, it's gotten even worse!" Yuko was pissed. "He's such an idiot! A total dumbass! He got me so worried!"_

_Rio stared at Yuko. "...Looks like you two are perfect for each other."_

_Yuko looked at Rio. "What? You gotta be jok - wait, what time is it? Oops, it's time for Kaz's medication. Well, see you later!" Yuko ran out of the room._

_"...She can say whatever she wants, but she's taking pretty good care of him. She's kinda like...a mom. Though I know she'd hate it if I told her so." Rio smiled._

_After everyone took a bath in the hot-springs, Minako, Rio, and Yuko went back to their room. They sat down on the futon._

_"Hey, isn't there something more appropriate to talk about at times like these?" Yuko grinned._

_"Like confessing our love?" Minako asked._

_Yuko's smile got wider. "Yep, exactly! Well...I'd be confessing my love if there was someone I really liked." She frowned. "I'd prefer a thin guy, but he'd have to be athletic...and there's no one at our school who fits that description."_

_"What about Kazushi?" Rio asked, smiling._

_Yuko grinned. "No way..." Her smile faded. "Uhh, but I do have this feeling...this is just an if, okay? IF Kaz and me don't end up finding someone for a long time...I get this feeling I might end up getting married to him...ack, what should I do?"_

_Rio and Minako looked at each other. "What kind of premonition is that...?"_

_"I mean, he's completely useless without me. There's no way he'll even remember where he keeps his underwear. Imagine him getting old all alone and eating nasty convenience store food every day! It's just so sad!" Yuko yelled._

_"So marry him." Minako stated, smiling._

_Yuko looked like the end of the world was near. "Nooooo! I've gotta fight it!" She cooled off. "...So, what about you, Minako-san? You've got someone you like, right?"_

_"Yep!" Minako said happily._

_"Ooooh, who is it?" Yuko asked excitedly._

_Minako began to think. 'He doesn't really go to Gekkoukan anymore...' "You don't know him." She replied._

_Yuko looked surprised. "Really? I pretty much know most of the guys who go to Gekkoukan...does he not go to our school?"_

_Minako giggled._

_"You two seem like you're having fun...I really don't get that sort of thing..." Rio said._

_Yuko frowned. "Ugh, I don't want to think anymore about a future with Kaz. How about we tell some ghost stories?"_

_Rio began thinking. "Hmm, that's fine with me, but I don't scare easily...I do know a lot of stories, though."_

_Yuko frowned again. "Let's hear 'em...although the way you say that is already giving me goosebumps. O-One sec...!" Yuko ran out of the room. Rio and Minako looked at each other again. They could hear a male voice shouting._

_"Wh-What do you want? I was gonna go to sleep..." _

_"Just shut it! Hey guys, I brought him!" Yuko yelled. She pushed the sliding door and pulled Kazushi into the room._

_Kazushi was confused. "Hey, this is the girl's room. I'm not allowed to be here!"_

_Yuko looked at him. "It's okay. Just stay here, alright? ...Okay, Rio. Do your worst."_

_"Is he your good luck charm?" Rio smirked._

_"N-No! I just...wanted him here." Yuko panicked._

_"A future with Kaz, eh?" Minako couldn't help but laugh._

_That made Yuko angry. "No no, I never said that! You're supposed to tell scary stories with four people! That's the rules! C'mon... hurry up and let's go in order!"_

_"...Alright, I'll go first." Rio smiled. "This story's about the tunnel we passed through today..."_

_Just then, the lights went out._

_"Eek! A blackout?" Yuko screamed. She latched onto Kazushi for dear life._

_"Ack, don't choke me! Get off! You're stepping on my foot, too!" Kazushi yelled at her._

_Suddenly, the lights went back on. _

_"Whew... the lights are back...wh-where's the phone?" Yuko began pushing buttons on the telephone to the inn. "Hello, front desk? Um, about the blackout just now..." Yuko paused. "There...was not blackout? ...Oh, thanks..." She hung up the phone. She began to panic. "What're we gonna do? That was a real supernatural phenomenon..."_

_"Lights always turn on and off, though." Kazushi smirked._

_Yuko looked angry. "Are you an idiot? The fact that they went out without anyone touching them means...! Ugh, let's just stop talking about it! I'm pretending that never happened!"_

_While Yuko and Kazushi were arguing, Minako looked down and noticed the remote for the lights near her feet._

_'...I may have accidentally turned the lights off...I should keep that to myself...' Minako thought, pushing the remote aside._

_The night passed..._

_~Yasoinaba, Front Gate~_

_It was almost time for the students of Gekkoukan to leave Yasoinaba._

_"Well, thanks a bunch for all your help. We'll remember what we learned here and keep trying our hardest." Rio said. _

_"Thank you very much!" The Gekkoukan students yelled._

_"Have a safe trip back." The Yasoinaba students said, waving goodbye._

_"Guess we should go back too..." Kazushi looked at Yuko. "Hey, you okay?"_

_Yuko frowned. "Yeah...I just didn't get any sleep...I saw...people's faces in the walls..."_

_Kazushi tried his best not to laugh. "You're just exaggerating...want me to give you a piggyback ride if you're not feelin' well?"_

_"...You moron! You're legs hurt!" Yuko yelled._

_'...Then what was that long pause for?' Minako chuckled._

_Yuko continued. "What're you talking about? I'd rather give you a piggyback ride!"_

_"...Pffft..." Minako tried to keep in the urge to laugh._

_"Haha. See? You're exaggerating again." Kazushi stated. _

_"Please come again." Yukiko said. _

_Yuko looked at her and smiled. "Oh, thanks for taking the time to come see us off."_

_Kazushi smirked. "She said she saw people's faces showing up in the inn's walls."_

_"Ack! You idiot!" Yuko yelled._

_"Oh, you saw them too? There's always a few at old inns, so there's no need to worry." Yukiko said with a straight face._

_"Always...a few?" Yuko's eyes widened._

_"*chuckle* I'm just joking." Yukiko said._

_Yuko frowned. "That was definitely not a joke..."_

_"C'mon, let's go home." Rio said._

_"Well then, I must part here. Please have a safe trip back." Yukiko bowed, then walked away._

_"...Don't tell me...she's not a ghost herself, is she?" Yuko began to freak out. "I mean, she was so cute...maybe she was one!"_

_"Really cute girls are ghosts? That's all the proof I need to know you're human." Kazushi smirked. Minako began chuckling._

_That pissed Yuko off. "What? Say that again to my face!" She stomped on the ground, hoping to stomp on Kazushi's injured foot. He dodged it._

_"Hey, stop trying to step on my foot!" Kazushi yelled. "Oh, that reminds me. I got a call about the tournament a moment ago. They told me that Niimura at San High was a no-show. Not only that, they couldn't find him at his house, either."_

_"Does...that mean he's missing? Did he run away from home? Maybe he was freaked out about the competition?" Yuko asked. "...Or, wait...is it because of that Apathy Syndrome thing...?"_

_Kazushi was confused. "No idea...hopefully he shows up soon. He was a great guy..."_

_Yuko looked downward. "Yeah...a-anyways, let's go home! C'mon, let's do our clap and put this to bed!"_

_"Why're you the one leading the clap...?" Kazushi asked._

_And so, the Tennis fellowship came to an end..._

_..._

_..._

**Memories of Tennis, End.**

Everyone came back to their senses.

"Wh-What the hell just happened...?" Akihiko asked.

"You were all reliving a part of Minako's memory." Ryoji explained. "As you can see, it was a memory that meant a lot to Minako."

"I remember that...so, that girl with the crimson eyes is Minako-san...?" Yukiko asked.

Yukari nodded. "Yeah...she seemed like she was enjoying that tennis fellowship..."

"I'm sorry, but I do not understand." Aigis began. "I thought that the first memory would be the night she arrived at Iwatodai...why is the first memory gained an event that happened many months after?"

"Now that you mention it, I wondered that myself..." Ken said.

"Well, Ryoji?" Junpei asked, glaring at the pale-faced boy.

Ryoji frowned. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been very honest with you..."

"WHAT?" Everyone looked pissed.

"Just what have you been hiding?" Yukari asked angrily.

Ryoji looked at them. "...I did tell you that the reason why Shinjiro-san is here is cause he's the only one who can retrieve Minako's memories...but there is something else that I didn't explain."

"Well, what is it?" Souji asked.

"The reason why the memories of tennis appeared first is simply because...it's irrelevant." Ryoji smiled.

Everyone looked at each other.

"I-Irrelevant...? I don't get it..." Junpei frowned.

"Simply put, this whole memory retrieval is based on Shinjiro-san and Minako's relationship...otherwise, anyone could give Minako back her memories. Those memories that were just shown doesn't connect with their relationship as a whole." Ryoji explained.

"...But, how is the attack on the dorm back in April relevant to their relationship, either? Minako-chan didn't even know Aragaki-senpai back then..." Fuuka said.

"That attack on the dorm is what awakened Minako's abilities. Now, just think for a moment...what would have happened if that attack never happened, that Minako had never awakened her persona..." Ryoji smirked.

"...Then she would have never joined SEES, is that what you're saying?" Naoto asked.

Ryoji nodded. "And if she had never joined SEES, then what?"

Akihiko's eyes widened. "...T-Then she wouldn't have known us, and by not knowing us, she wouldn't have had a need to meet Shinji...?"

"You got it." Ryoji smiled. He then looked at Shinjiro. "Tell me, when was the first time you two met?"

Shinjiro stared at him. "...We first met...when I visited Aki at the hospital...and Minako and the other two came in the room."

"I see...but if she had never awakened her persona, then she would have no need to visit the hospital..." Fuuka began thinking.

"And when was the next time you two crossed paths...?" Ryoji asked.

"...It was when Minako, Yukari, and Junpei went to the back alley of Port Island Station to investigate some ghost story..." Shinjiro said with an expressionless face.

"...!" Akihiko's eyes widened. "But, if she never awakened her persona, then she wouldn't have had a need to investigate, and thus would have never met Shinji!"

Ryoji nodded. "See? All those events were triggered by that one event in April...it was a chain reaction. And if that one event never happened, then Minako's relationship with Shinji wouldn't have even existed. Now do you get it?"

Everyone nodded.

"So, does that mean that the next door we open will be that April event?" Junpei asked.

"I'm pretty sure that that's the case. And at the end of that memory, you will have to face the first ordeal...I'm assuming you all know what that is...?" Ryoji asked.

Yukari's eyes widened. "Don't tell me...it's that thing we had to fight on that day?"

Ryoji nodded. "But this time, it will be much more powerful...you will need the help of _everyone _in order to succeed."

Yukari nodded.

"...I suggest we save that for tomorrow, though...that memory wore me out a little..." Souji said, panting.

"I understand. Like Tartarus and the TV World, you get fatigued more easily in the Labyrinth of Memories. Since we've acquired a piece of Minako's memory, the door should be unlocked." Ryoji said. Kanji pushed on the door, and it swung open.

"Hell yeah!" Kanji ran out.

"...Well, then I guess we'll have to get ready for tomorrow night...what shall we do until then...?" Chie asked.

"Well, there's a festival going on at the shrine all this week...maybe we can go to that?" Fuuka asked. Junpei's eyes were shining.

"Now we're talking! Oooh we have to have dates, though!" Junpei was as excited as ever. He ran out of the door.

"...Let's decide on who's going with who tomorrow...I'm beat." Yosuke frowned.

"Just so you know, Sensei, Teddie get's ALL the girls!" Sparks were flying from Teddie.

"Ugh, can it, Ted." Yosuke said. They both walked out of the labyrinth.

The others followed. But as Akihiko and Shinjiro were about to leave, Shinjiro stopped half-way down the steps.

"What is it, Shinji...?" Akihiko asked.

"...Nothing..." Shinjiro walked past Akihiko without looking at him, his hands firmly in both of his pockets.

"...*sigh*..." Akihiko followed Shinjiro.

'...If all this shit is connected to our relationship, then does that mean they will see _everything_...? Damn it...' Shinjiro had a pained look on his face. '...I have a bad feeling about all this...'

* * *

Chapter 4 COMPLETE! Woo hoo I feel accomplished :3 I hope this chapter cleared stuff up for you all...or made you more confused, one or the other...

You know, I realized that it's really hard for me to get ALL the characters to talk at least once or twice in one chapter...I'll have to work on that.

Thank you all for the reviews! I have to once again thank _Xoraan_ for being a regular reader/reviewer to this story, so thank you very much! I must also thank _LilLaoRyo704_ for your reviews, they are very fun to read haha. Oh, and I can't forget _Holy Leonhart_, who not only writes one of my most favorite fanfic, but also reads my stories and gives me positive compliments to them! Thank you so much, you guys!

Please review so I can improve later chapters! :D


	6. Festival at Naganaki Shrine

This chapter is just a side event during a festival at Naganaki Shrine. There will be some funny moments in this chapter (your mileage may vary, of course), but it will also have a very meaningful moment involving Shinjiro. Just a heads up! I hope you enjoy this chapter! **CAUTION: In this chapter, some of the characters will be talking about an event that had NOT happened in the game, but in my story "Only You".** I know I advised you to read my first story before you read this one, but in case you didn't I just wanted to warn you so that you don't get confused and be all "WTF?" when reading. Oh, and just to be safe, I am going to change the rating of my story to "M"...I will have to eventually when I reshow the memory of said event *sweat drop*.

Pointless trivia: In case some of you were wondering this, Teddie is NOT in his bear costume during this chapter. He will only have his bear costume on when inside the _Labyrinth of Memories_, kind of like how he mostly only had it on when inside the TV world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Naganaki Shrine, Afternoon~

A summer festival was going on at Naganaki Shrine. The whole team arrived at the shrine.

"Ooooh, look at all the decorations!" Rise stared in awe.

"Wow, I've never seen so much stuff at a festival before..." Kanji's eyes widened.

"That's because Inaba's festivals don't have much to offer." Yosuke frowned.

Aigis and the other SEES members were looking around as well. Shinjiro, however, looked annoyed.

"Dammit, why'd we have to go to one of these festivals? They are a complete waste of time..." Shinjiro stated, frowning.

"Well, what else were we supposed to do until midnight? C'mon, Shinji, have some fun _sometime_ in your life!" Akihiko smiled.

Shinjiro grunted. '...Times of fun...more like annoyances...' Still, he smiled slightly when he reminisced on all the "fun" times he had with Minako.

"Okay, so how are we gonna divvy each other up?" Chie asked.

The SEES members looked confused.

"What do you mean, 'divvy each other up'?" Yukari asked.

"Whenever a festival was going on in Inaba, we would always split up into separate groups." Rise explained. "Kind of like...spending time with a special someone..."

"I...I see..." Akihiko acted uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Oooh, I wanna go with Souji-senpai!" Rise held onto Souji's arm.

"Well...I guess I don't mind." Souji said.

"Are you in love with Souji-san, Rise-san?" Aigis asked.

Rise nodded. "He saved me from dying a while back...he's my hero!"

"H-Hey, we helped you, too, you know!" Yosuke yelled.

*Woof! Woof!* Koromaru began barking.

Aigis looked at him, then back at Souji. "...Koro-chan says that Naoto-san and Yukiko-san are staring demonically at Rise-san..."

Everyone looked at the girls, their faces turning red from embarrassment.

"Aww, are you guys jealous?" Teddie asked. "Don't worry, you always have Teddie here to cheer you up...hey, is this what 'scoring a hot stud' means?"

"Ugh, not _that_ again..." Chie frowned.

Yukiko frowned as well. "Can you _please_ stop with that..."

"A-Anyway...who's gonna go with who? It doesn't have to be with your special someone, if you don't want it to be." Yosuke said.

"How about Yosuke-senpai and Chie-senpai go together, Kanji-kun and Naoto-kun can go together, and of course, me and Souji-senpai!" Rise cheered.

"Awwww, what about me?" Teddie pouted.

"YOU had your way last year...damn bear, took all the girls for himself." Yosuke had a pained look on his face. "I mean, Kanji-kun probably enjoyed himself with us guys, but I don't roll that way!"

Kanji looked pissed. "...Say that again to my face...I dare you."

Naoto put her hand to her forehead. "I feel like I'm getting a headache...can you people be any more annoying...?"

While the newer generation were bickering amongst themselves, the SEES members were talking with each other as well.

"Well, I guess we can try doing it their way..." Fuuka said.

"Alright, but who should go with who...?" Ken asked.

Yukari grimaced. "I honestly don't see what good pairing each of us up will do."

*woof woof!* Koromaru barked.

"Koro-chan said that he wants to get to know the others..." Aigis said.

They all looked at Aigis.

"Hey, that's a great idea! We should each pair off with each other to get to know them better!" Chie smiled.

Rise looked sad. "Awww, no senpai...?"

Yukiko sighed with relief, while Naoto smirked.

"Ok, then who gets paired with whom?" Naoto asked.

Aigis looked at her. "Koro-chan claimed that he would like to get to know Kanji-kun more..."

Everyone looked surprised.

"Wow, Koro-chan seems to like the delinquent types, eh Shinji?" Akihiko smiled at him. Shinjiro glared at him.

Ryoji smiled. "Well, I kinda want to get to know Teddie more, being that we are both shadows..."

Teddie nodded. "Okay, I want to get to know you, too!" They both shook hands.

"Well, I want to get to know Chie-chan." Yukari smiled at her.

Chie smiled back. "Alright."

"I would love to spend time with Akihiko-san, if that's alright?" Naoto asked.

Akihiko nodded. "Sure. It's fine with me."

Shinjiro had a pained look on his face. 'This is bullshit...why do we have to get paired off, anyway...? I'd rather be alone with no one to annoy the crap outta me...'

"I want to talk to Fuuka-san!" Rise smiled.

Fuuka blushed. "A-Alright..."

"Hey, Brosuke! How about you and I hang out?" Junpei smiled widely at Yosuke.

"...Brosuke?" Nevertheless, Yosuke nodded and shook hands with Junpei.

"If you don't mind, I would like to be by myself." Ken said. "I want to visit my mother's grave while I'm here."

Akihiko looked at him. "We understand, Ken. You go do what you have to..."

Ken nodded and ran off.

"If you don't mind, I would like to get to know you, Aigis-san." Yukiko said. "You seem like a very interesting...err...person."

Aigis smiled. "I would love to, Yukiko-san."

And with that, the pairings went off to get to know each other. The only two left were Souji Seta and Shinjiro Aragaki.

Souji looked at Shinjiro. "Well, I guess we're a pair." He smiled.

Shinjiro grunted slightly. "I can do fine on my own..." Shinjiro walked away. However, Souji decided to follow him.

"So...why did you quit SEES...?" Souji asked. "I mean...Aigis told me what had happened...but was quitting all that necessary...?"

Shinjiro looked at Souji. "...It's none of your business."

Souji sighed. He continued to think of questions to get Shinjiro to talk. Finally, he came up with one.

"How did you fall in love with Minako-san?" Souji asked.

Shinjiro flinched at the question.

"Th-That's personal!" Shinjiro yelled, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.

"Come on, it's just us guys...you can tell me." Souji smiled.

"No way, I'm not going to tell you." Shinjiro looked away.

Souji could tell that Shinjiro was blushing. 'Hmm...maybe I should try asking him indirectly...'

"Alright, fine...at least tell me when you first met her." Souji asked.

"...Tch." Shinjiro sighed. "I first met her in the hospital while I was visiting Aki...Akihiko."

"Oh really...?" Souji asked.

Shinjiro nodded. "Yeah...Aki wanted some information, so I visited him. Then three idiots come walking into the room. Junpei and Yukari looked intimidated by me, as they should have...but Minako..." He paused for a moment. "...Minako didn't even look scared in the slightest...she even smiled at me. Then Aki came walking in and greeted them. I didn't have time for whatever it was they were doing, so I was on my way out. I had to ask why she wasn't scared of me like everyone else usually was. But, I decided not to ask her at the last minute. I just walked out of the room."

Souji smiled. "Did you feel...attracted to her back then? Or when did you know for a fact that you loved her...?"

Shinjiro seemed hesitant to answer. "Uh..."

"Oh, if it's uncomfortable for you to answer, I understand..." Souji said apologetically.

"I-It's not that..." Shinjiro blushed a little. "Well, I did feel...a little attracted to her, especially when she smiled...but..." Shinjiro frowned. "...I knew that romance wasn't an option for me, in the situation I was in..."

Souji frowned. "Must have been painful for ya, huh?"

"Well, Minako didn't really help with the matter either." Shinjiro explained. "The next time we met, the same three idiots came to the back alley of Port Island Station chasing some ghost story. They nearly got beat up by the bastards who hang around there, if I hadn't come along."

"Did you save them because Minako was there...?" Souji smirked.

Shinjiro glared at him. "Hell no. I recognized them as Aki's friends, so I felt the need to save them...if I hadn't, chances were Aki would have punched me into next week."

Souji nodded. "I understand. So, how did you feel about Minako then?"

Shinjiro looked down. "To be honest...I wasn't sure how I felt. Too many conflicting feelings going on in my head at the time. But, when she told me 'thank you for saving us'...I felt...uncomfortable for some strange reason. I looked away from her gaze...her piercing crimson eyes..."

Souji smiled. 'I guess...that time was when he first fell in love with her...'

"So how did you feel the first time you actually hung out with her?"

Shinjiro looked annoyed, but continued talking. "She said she wanted to get to know me better, so I took her to Hagakure...I didn't know very many places to eat. To be honest, I couldn't believe that she was younger than Aki, yet was the new leader of SEES. When I brought that up, she smiled at me...and I couldn't help but smile back..." Shinjiro smiled sadly. "...She got me to smile...I hadn't smiled since..." He bit his lower lip. "...Since before I killed Ken's mom..."

Souji frowned. "I see...she must have really loved you...she probably wanted you to smile."

Shinjiro stopped walking. Souji looked back at him and stopped as well.

"What's the matter?" Souji asked.

Shinjiro looked at his hands, then up at Souji. "She...she was just being nice, is all...it's in her nature...I didn't deserve her kindness with all the shit I caused. I couldn't even protect her when it really mattered...that happened twice..."

Souji looked confused. "What happened?"

Shinjiro looked at him again. "I couldn't protect her in Tartarus the first time she went in with me...she almost got killed by a shadow, not having enough energy to run away. Aki punched me for that...as he should have..." Shinjiro cringed. "The second time..."

"Go on...what happened?" Souji said.

"...She was in a lot of pain after that happened...a lot of emotional pain...and I wasn't there in time to save her before it was too late..." A tear rolled down Shinjiro's cheek.

"What was so bad that caused her to suffer emotionally?" Souji asked.

Shinjiro, once again, seemed hesitant to answer.

"C'mon, you can tell me...what happened?" Souji pestered. He was getting on Shinjiro's nerves.

Shinjiro looked at him angrily. "She was raped!" He yelled.

Everyone at the festival stared at him. Silence wafted between the two young men. Once everyone's gaze went away from them, Souji continued.

"Oh, I had no idea..." Souji frowned.

"And because of that, she was a wreck for I don't know how long...it was all my fault, I should have been there to protect her!" Shinjiro held his head between his hands.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Souji said. "There was no way that you could have predicted something like that would happen!"

"No...but I knew that some of the bastards from the back alley were the last ones to see Minako! That should have said something right there!" Shinjiro yelled back. "When I found her...she didn't have any clothes on...she was just huddled in the corner, hugging her legs. I could tell she had been crying for awhile...and yet..." Shinjiro's expression saddened. "...when she saw me, all she did was smile...she just held onto my arm and told me that she was happy that I was there with her..."

Souji frowned again.

Shinjiro continued. "...When we got back to the dorm, the others flocked around her in shock, as I expected them to. I went upstairs to my room, tired as hell from what had happened...and she comes knocking on my door. At first, it was to return my coat I had lent her...but then...she asked me if she could sleep with me..."

Souji's eyes widened. "Y-You mean like..."

"Hell no..." Shinjiro said. "Why would she want to do that after what she went through? Anyway...I was hesitant at first, but when she said that she was scared...I felt that I couldn't turn her away, so I nodded. She lied down on my bed, and she wanted me to lie down next to her...I felt that I shouldn't be getting attached to her, yet I knew that in my heart...I was falling in love with her..."

"I see..." Souji began. "So, that's how you fell in love with her..."

Shinjiro grunted slightly and began walking again. Souji ran to catch up with him.

"Hey, guys." A voice said. "Are you two having fun?"

Souji and Shinjiro turned around to see Ken walking towards them.

"Y-Yeah, I suppose...I don't really like festivals, but this one is pretty peaceful..." Souji smiled. Shinjiro's expression was unreadable as always.

"Oh, that's good." Ken smiled. "I'm not that fond of festivals either, so I decided to pay my mom a visit...I hadn't visited her grave in a long time."

Shinjiro's face saddened. Ken noticed and smiled at him. "It's not your fault, Shinjiro-san...I know that now. Minako-san helped me realize that, so you don't have to feel guilty anymore..."

However, despite Ken's words, Shinjiro still looked saddened by it.

"...That's not the only thing bothering you...right, Shinjiro-san?" Souji asked.

Shinjiro looked at Souji. "...If this _Labyrinth of Memories _shows the memories of our time spent with Minako..." He frowned. "...I will have to relive _that_ memory..."

Souji's eyes widened. "You mean the memory of when Minako...?"

Shinjiro shook his head. "Well, that too...but the memory I'm thinking of is..."

At that moment, Ken's eyes widened as well. But before Shinjiro could finish, everyone else met back up with each other.

"Hey, how's the bonding going?" Junpei asked.

Souji looked at him. "I think we had a nice chat..."

"Oh, that's good." Junpei smiled. "Me and Brosuke ate some takoyaki and we talked about school and whatnot..."

"I had a nice time with Yukiko-san...we talked about many things." Aigis stated. "And Souji-san came up a lot in our conversation."

"A-Aigis...!" Yukiko began blushing.

Souji smirked at that.

"Akihiko-san and I talked about the police force, as well as the cases I worked on over the years..." Naoto smiled. "I really enjoyed our conversation."

Akihiko smiled as well. "I enjoyed myself as well, I have to admit."

"I had a very fun time with Fuuka-san, we chatted about our pasts, and I feel much more at ease, now." Rise smiled at Fuuka.

"I feel more at ease now, too, thanks to Rise-chan." Fuuka said back.

"Chie-chan and I had a good time as well." Yukari stated.

*Woof!* Koromaru barked.

"Koro-chan says that he had a good time with Kanji-kun..." Aigis said.

Kanji smiled at that.

"...Hey, where's Ryoji-kun and Teddie...?" Yukari began looking around.

Everyone else looked around as well, but there was no sign of them.

"They must still be having fun." Akihiko said.

Shinjiro began walking down the stairs. "I'm gonna leave early...we need to conserve our strength for tonight..."

Akihiko nodded. "Alright, see you tonight then, Shinji."

Shinjiro nodded. "C'mon, Koro-chan..."

Koromaru ran after him, and they both walked off.

"Well, we should conserve our strength too." Yosuke stated.

"I agree...but we can't leave until Ryoji-san and Teddie get back." Naoto told him.

They began waiting for them. A few hours had past, and they were getting restless.

"...Where the hell are they?" Yukari yelled.

Everyone sighed. Just then, they saw two figures running towards them in the distance. As they got a closer look, they saw that it was Ryoji and Teddie.

"Where were you two?" Kanji yelled.

"Run!" Ryoji yelled. Teddie wasn't too far behind him.

"Why did you take so long to get here?" Akihiko asked. However, Ryoji and Teddie ran right past them and down the stairs. Everyone had confused looks on their faces.

"What the...?" But before Souji could finish his sentence, they heard the sound of many footsteps from behind them. They all turned around, and saw a huge flock of angry people...or to be more precise, a flock of angry _girls_, running towards them.

"Get back here!" One girl yelled.

"You'll pay for that!" Another girl screamed.

"Eek, RUN FOR IT!" Rise yelled. They all ran as fast as they could. A ways up from them, they saw Ryoji and Teddie running and they managed to catch up to them. Trying to get away from the angry mob, they hid behind the wall of a small store.

"Phew, I think we lost them..." Ryoji said, panting.

"Thank goodness..." Teddie said, panting as well.

Everyone glared at them.

"What the hell did you guys do?" Junpei yelled.

Ryoji and Teddie looked at each other, then back at everyone else.

"Well, you see..." Ryoji began.

"Funny story..." Teddie scratched the back of his head.

"OUT WITH IT!" Rise yelled.

"Ack, we're so sorry!" Teddie cried.

"...You didn't answer our question. _What_ did you guys do...?" Naoto asked.

Ryoji looked at them and smiled uncomfortably. "Well, it all started when we saw a group of gorgeous ladies standing together..."

"...And we asked them if we could buy them some takoyaki..." Teddie continued. "...So we did, and we chatted for awhile...and then...this guy had to say something that made them all angry at us!" He yelled, pointing at Ryoji.

"It's not just my fault!" Ryoji yelled back.

"...What did Ryoji say...?" Yukari asked.

"...Well, I made the mistake of saying that I knew this great place on Shirakawa Boulevard..." Ryoji said.

"Ugh, men." Yukari looked at Ryoji in disgust. She remembered that he told her the exact same thing two years ago, and that she punched him for that.

"H-Hey, like I said, it's not entirely my fault!" Ryoji yelled. "He was the one that pretty much felt one of the girls up when he complimented her on her curves!" He yelled, pointing at Teddie.

That's when all the girls glared at Teddie.

"W-Wait!" Teddie yelled frantically. "I-It's not what you think...!"

"Teddie..." Yukiko said demonically.

"Uh oh..." Teddie frowned. He began to run away from them.

"You're gonna get it this time!" Chie yelled. And with that, all the girls...even Naoto and Aigis...were running after Teddie. The only thing the guys heard was a yell which they assumed was Teddie, followed by the sound of a _huge_ explosion. They could have sworn that they saw a mushroom cloud in the shape of a skull and crossbones appear not to far away.

"Wow...I don't think that he deserved _that_ much hurt..." Junpei commented.

"He's just glad that Mitsuru wasn't here to witness that...if she was here, it would have ended MUCH worse for him..." Akihiko cringed at the thought.

"...I've had enough for one day, I'm gonna go back to my dorm room..." Ken stated.

Akihiko nodded. "Alright, we'll meet up in front of the school tonight, then." Ken nodded and walked off.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go back to the college dorms for the day." Junpei said. "Hey, you don't have a place to stay, right, Ryoji? You wanna go back with me?"

Ryoji smiled. "Sure, I'd be glad to!" And with that, they both walked away.

"Ugh, we'd better go find Ted and try and get him away from the wrath of the girls..." Yosuke grimaced. Kanji nodded and they ran towards the direction they heard the explosion come from.

And with that, Akihiko was the only one that remained.

'...Our first battle will be tonight. I better conserve my strength...' Akihiko began walking towards his college dorm. '...Two years ago, I know that Shinjiro was keeping something from me regarding _that_ incident...but when we get to that point in this journey, I will finally know what really happened...' Akihiko looked at the sky. 'I promised that I would protect you, Minako...and I meant it...'

* * *

I have to admit, even I began to tear up a little when Shinjiro said what he said. Haha I love him. I hope you enjoyed the little funny moment at the end with Teddie and Ryoji...since they were both the in game perverts per say, I just HAD to add something that would involve that. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far and continues to read it. Special thanks once again to _Xoraan_! I would also love to thank _Raven the blood which_, for giving me suggestions on ways to improve my story/making it funnier, so thank you so much! Well, I hope you liked this chapter! And please review!


	7. Memories of Awakening

Awesome, Chapter 7 is finally complete. This chapter took longer to write than I expected. I hope this chapter doesn't bore you, cause most of it is just in-game dialogue from Minako's memories. I hope you like it, and I hope you like the "surprise" I put towards the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Labyrinth of Memories, Midnight~

Everyone entered the Labyrinth of Memories for the second time, with Ryoji Mochizuki as their guide. They began to wander aimlessly down corridors and passageways, until they came up to a lone door at the end of a corridor.

"This door reads 'Memories of Awakening'. This memory is when Minako first arrived at the dorm, and her first full moon event." Ryoji explained. "It appears that the name 'Pharos' is written on the front."

"Who the hell is Pharos?" Junpei asked.

Ryoji smiled. "Don't worry, Pharos was actually my other form, before you defeated the twelve shadows. I had been living within Minako at the time."

"Then...does that mean that you're the one who opens the door?" Yukari asked.

Ryoji nodded. "Make sure to get your weapons ready...after this memory ends, your first ordeal awaits you..."

The team nodded. And with that, Ryoji slowly opened the door...

...

...

**Memories of Awakening...**

_A young woman was riding inside of a passenger train. _

_"Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered. We apologize to any customers who were in a hurry. The next stop is Iwatodai..." The train's conductor announced._

_..._

_The train came to an abrupt stop._

_"Iwatodai." The announcement said. _

_The young woman got off the train. An announcement rang through the near empty terminals._

_"This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please take care to board before our departure."_

_The girl began to look around. 'Ugh, I'm so late...'_

_Just then, the whole atmosphere changed. The lights stopped functioning, as did the intercom and train. The moon glowed a bright yellow, and the sky turned a greenish hue. _

_'...Hmmm?' The girl could have sworn that something had happened just a moment ago. '...Huh...' Nevertheless, she continued to walk towards her destination. Along the way, she noticed coffins lining the sidewalks and roads. She decided that it was just her imagination._

_~Gekkoukan High School, Iwatodai Dorm~_

_She had arrived at her destination, and slowly opened the door. It was eerily silent, until she heard a creepy voice coming from behind her._

_"Welcome." A boy's voice said. "You're late. I've been waiting a long time."_

_The boy handed her a piece of paper. It appeared to be a contract of sorts._

_"If you want to proceed, then please sign here. It's a contract." The unknown boy explained. "There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."_

_As the girl looked at the contract more closely, she noticed something written at the top of the paper._

_'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.'_

_At the bottom, there was a line for her to sign her name. She grabbed a pen, and after pondering it over, she wrote down her name on the contract: Minako Arisato._

_She handed the contract back to the boy._

_"...Very well." The boy smiled. "Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away. And so it begins..." All of a sudden, right before Minako's eyes, the boy disappeared._

_"...Who're there?" A voice yelled._

_A girl walked over to where Minako was standing. She was looking at her in amazement. "How can you be...but it's...! Don't tell me..." The girl tightened her grip on the thing she was holding. As Minako got a better look at it, her eyes widened when she saw it was a gun._

_Just then, another young woman walked up to Minako and the other girl._

_"Wait!" She said._

_Soon after, the lights went back on, and the atmosphere returned to normal._

_"...!" The first girl gasped. "The lights..."_

_The second girl turned her attention to Minako._

_"I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." The one called Mitsuru introduced herself._

_"...Who's she?" The first girl asked._

_"She's a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign her here. She'll eventually be moved to a room in the normal dorm." Mitsuru explained._

_The first girl looked worried. "...Is it okay for her to be here?"_

_Mitsuru smirked. "I guess we'll see."_

_She turned her attention back to Minako. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."_

_"Hi, I'm Yukari." The one called Yukari introduced herself._

_"Why do you have a gun?" Minako asked her._

_"Huh?" Yukari seemed panicked for some reason. "Um, well, it's sorta like a hobby...well, not a hobby, but..."_

_Before Yukari could finish her sentence, Mitsuru cut in. "You know how it is these days...it's for self-defense. It's not a real gun, of course." Mitsuru said rather smugly. "It's getting late. You'll find your room on the third floor. Your things should already be there. I suggest you tuck in for the night."_

_Minako nodded. "Thank you very much."_

_"Oh...I'll show you the way. Follow me." Yukari smiled. Minako smiled back and followed her up two flights of stairs, until they came to a stop at a room at the very end of the hall._

_"This is it..." Yukari said, first looking at the door, then back at Minako. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? ...Since it's right at the end of the hall. So, any questions?" _

_'...Now that she mentioned it...' Minako looked at Yukari. "I signed a contract..."_

_Yukari looked confused. "Huh? What's this about a contract?"_

_'She doesn't seem to know what I'm talking about.' "Oh, nevermind." Minako replied back._

_"Um...can I ask you something?" Yukari looked uneasy. "On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"_

_Minako began thinking whether or not she should tell the girl about the coffins. She decided not to, at the risk of sounding like she was crazy. "What do you mean...?"_

_"You know what I-" Yukari hesitated for a moment. "...Nevermind. It seems like you're alright."_

_'...Um, thank you...?' Minako tried to keep a straight face._

_Yukari continued. "Well, I'd better get going..." As she was about to go down the stairs, she looked back at Minako. "Um...I'm sure you still have some other questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Good night." Yukari went down the stairs._

_Minako opened the door to her new room. As she looked inside, there was a bed, a sink and a mirror, a television, a desk, and a mini-fridge. Minako smiled in approval, then sat down on the bed. _

_'I better get some sleep, I have school tomorrow...' She lied down, and slowly drifted to sleep. '...Gekkoukan High School...'_

_~4/7, Morning~_

_Minako awoke at the sound of her alarm clock. She put on her new uniform that Mitsuru had given her._

_*Knock knock*_

_"It's Yukari. Are you awake?" _

_Minako went to open the door. Yukari smiled and walked in her room._

_"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" Yukari asked._

_Minako nodded. "Yes I did...did you need me for something?"_

_Yukari shook her head. "Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go?"_

_"Totally!" Minako said cheerfully._

_Yukari smiled. "Okay, then let's go."_

_..._

_They got onto a passenger train headed for Tatsumi Port Island. Minako was sitting down, looking out the window. _

_"We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?" Yukari breathed in, then out with a content look on her face. "This is my favorite part...when it feels like you're gliding over the sea. Our stop is Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. Have you even heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They built our school right in the middle...! Oh look, you can see it now!" Yukari yelled, pointing towards the window. Minako looked out to where Yukari was pointing, and saw a huge building that took up almost the whole middle part of the island. _

_~Gekkoukan High School~_

_Minako and Yukari both walked towards the school._

_"Mornin'!" A girl yelled to Yukari._

_Yukari smiled at her. "Morning!" She then turned her attention back to Minako. "Well, here we are...welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!"_

_Minako then followed Yukari into the building. The first floor was packed with students. _

_"You're okay from here, right?" Yukari asked. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is right there to the left..." Yukari smiled. "...And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"_

_Minako began to think. "...No, I'm okay."_

_Yukari nodded. "Hey...about last night...don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"_

_Minako nodded._

_"...See ya later." And with that, Yukari walked off._

_Minako walked over to the bulletin board to see which classroom she was in. The bulletin board was surrounded by students, so Minako had to push her way through the crowd to take a look. When she looked over the names, she couldn't find her own._

_'...Maybe I'll look again...' Minako slowly looked over each name, making sure not to miss anything. She then looked at a small note attached to the class list, where she saw her name: Minako Arisato - Class F. She also noticed that Yukari's name was on the same list, as well. _

_'Okay, Yukari told me to go to the faculty office...' Minako walked down the faculty office hallway, and entered the office. A semi-young looking woman wearing a beige/pinkish blazer and pants was organizing some papers on a desk._

_"Umm...excuse me...?" Minako said, trying to get the woman's attention. The woman looked up._

_"Oh, are you the new student?" The woman asked. "Minako Arisato...11th grade, correct?"_

_The woman began looking through some files. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places...let's see...in 1999...that was what, ten years ago? Your parents - *gasp*"_

_Minako's expression became uneasy. She did her best to maintain her calm composure._

_Noticing the look on Minako's face, the woman apologized. "I'm sorry...I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand. I'm Miss Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."_

_Minako bowed to the teacher. "I'm pleased to meet you."_

_Ms. Toriumi's face lit up. "My, aren't you polite? Girls like you should be an example for others. Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."_

_Ms. Toriumi led Minako out of the Faculty Office towards the auditorium. Minako sat in 2-F's section, when the principal began his speech._

_"As you begin the new school year..." The principal began. "...I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means..."_

_The principal continued to talk. Minako could hear some students whisper something amongst themselves._

_"I heard we got a new transfer student."_

_"Yep. I've seen her, too. She came to school with Yukari."_

_One of the teachers stood up. He had an annoyed look on his face, and was glaring at Ms. Toriumi. "I hear talking. I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class..."_

_Ms. Toriumi looked at her students with an angry expression. "Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"_

_Minako sighed. 'These rumors aren't going to stop anytime soon...'_

_..._

_Back in room 2-F, homeroom had just ended. As Minako was organizing her books for her first class, a young man walked up to her. He was wearing a blue cap, had a slight goatee, and was smiling widely. _

_" 'Sup, dude?" The student yelled. Minako's eyes widened._

_"Haha, you look like a deer in headlights" The boy stated._

_"What do you want?" Minako asked._

_The boy frowned. "Oh, come on. Let me introduce myself at least. I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid...so I thought I'd check up on you, make sure you weren't freaking out on your first day."_

_Just then, Yukari walked up to them. She rolled her eyes at Junpei. _

_"*sigh* At it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on? Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Yukari looked annoyed. _

_"What? But, I was just bein' friendly." Junpei told her. _

_"If you say so." Yukari then turned her attention to Minako. "Anyway, some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?"_

_Minako smiled. "Yeah, I know."_

_"Funny, huh?" Yukari giggled._

_Junpei frowned again. "Umm, hello? Did you forget I'm in this class, too? C'mon, lemme in on the fun!" He smiled. "By the way, do you guys know each other? I heard you two came to school together this morning. A couple of cuties like you, walking side by side...the whole class was buzzing about you."_

_"Ugh...could you just cut it out? I hate dealing with rumors like that." Yukari grimaced. "I mean, I'm used to it, but she just got here, you know? Don't you feel bad, spreading rumors like that? ...Well, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff. Don't try anything funny, you got that, Junpei?" Yukari then walked out of the classroom._

_Junpei looked at Minako. "What is she, your nanny...? Well, just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over here to hit on you or anything. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!"_

_Minako smiled at him. "I'll remember that."_

_Junpei smiled back. "Heh, cool. Well, I'll be seeing you around, then."_

_..._

_School had ended, and Minako began walking back to the dorm. At the front gate, she ran into Junpei._

_"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run..." Junpei said, staring at them. "Hey, did anyone tell you about the school clubs yet? Girls can join too, so why not do it if you're interested? You'd be joining as a new member, though, so you won't be able to apply for a little while."_

_"Hmm, I'll go see what kind of clubs they have to offer, then." Minako kindly replied._

_"That's cool. Well, see ya tomorrow!" And Junpei walked off. Minako walked back to the dorm. She went upstairs to her room, where she fell asleep almost immediately._

_..._

_~4/8, evening~_

_Minako came back to the dorm after her second day of school. She saw an unfamiliar man sitting in a chair talking to Yukari._

_"Oh, she's back." Yukari told the man. Minako walked over to where they were sitting._

_"So, this is our new guest..." The man stated. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. 'Ikutsuki'...hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes...I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"_

_Minako began thinking. "Who else lives at this dorm?"_

_Ikutsuki smiled. "There are only four students in this dorm: You, Yukari here, Mitsuru...and a senior named Akihiko Sanada. I hope you all get along. Do you have another question?"_

_Minako was pondering over whether or not she should ask him about the young boy that greeted her, and about the coffins she saw when she first arrived. She decided not to. "No, not really."_

_"Then, I hope you have a successful school year." Ikutsuki said. "Now, if you'll excuse me...you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'the early bird catches the bookworm'! ...Please forgive the bad pun." Ikutsuki began chuckling. Minako looked confused._

_"..." Yukari rolled her eyes. "You'll get used to his lame jokes."_

_Minako nodded. "Well, I should get to bed...see ya tomorrow, Yukari."_

_Yukari nodded. Minako then went up the stairs to her room and lied down on her bed. She slowly drifted to sleep..._

_..._

_"Master...Master Minako..." A mysterious voice called._

_All of a sudden, Minako was transported to a huge room. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was in what looked like an elevator. She was sitting in a chair across from an old man with a long nose. He was smiling creepily. _

_'...Where...am I...?' Minako felt dazed._

_"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The old man greeted. "My name is Igor...I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter...only those who have signed the contract can enter this place..."_

_Minako looks down at the table in front of Igor, where she spots the same paper she signed when she arrived at the dorm._

_"Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room." Igor continued. "You are destined to hold your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return...that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make. _

_"I understand." Minako replied._

_"Hold on to this..." Igor handed her the Velvet Key. "There is still one more resident of this room, who unfortunately could not be present for your arrival. But I'll make sure you two are properly introduced. Another time, perhaps. 'Til we meet again..."_

_Minako was slowly drifting into unconsciousness..._

_..._

_~4/9, After School~_

_Minako ran into Yukari at the shoe boxes and decided to walk back together. They stopped at Paulownia Mall._

_"Have you come here before?" Yukari asked. "A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. There's a karaoke box and a CD shop. Oh, and a really great cafe, too!" Yukari smiled. "There's also a nightclub, but that's kinda not for us yet."_

_Minako saw lots of other students from Gekkoukan High as they began looking around. Once they were done, they both arrived back at the dorm. Minako was tired, so she decided to go to her room._

_'The moon is so beautiful...' She thought as she looked up at it from her window. '...So calm...so full of illusion and mystery...' Minako slowly drifted to sleep._

_..._

_All of a sudden, Minako was awoken by a loud noise. She got out of bed and was about to open the door._

_*Bang Bang*_

_"Wake up!" Yukari yelled. "Sorry, I'm coming in!" Yukari opened the door rather swiftly and ran inside Minako's room. "I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"_

_Minako looked confused. "What's going on?"_

_"Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" Yukari yelled, ignoring Minako's question. "Wait! ...Take this, just in case." Yukari handed Minako some sort of weapon._

_'This is a naginata...' Minako thought as she held the weapon in her hands._

_"Okay, let's go! Follow me!" _

_Minako nodded and they both ran down to the first floor near the rear entrance._

_"Alright, we should be safe now- -" But before Yukari finished her statement, she received a message from someone._

_"Takeba! Do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice asked._

_"Y-Yes! I hear you!" Yukari responded._

_"Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!" Mitsuru explained._

_"What?" Yukari was shocked. A loud bang could be heard outside the rear entrance. "*gasp* L-Let's pull back!"_

_Yukari and Minako both ran back upstairs. On the second floor, they heard glass shattering."_

_"Wh-What was that?" Yukari looked scared._

_They could hear footprints getting louder._

_"It's getting closer! K-Keep moving! Hurry!" Yukari yelled._

_They both ran out to the rooftop. Yukari sighed with relief. "The door's locked. I think we're safe for now..."_

_"Raaaawr!" Something roared from down below._

_"?"_

_All of a sudden, a huge thing appeared from over the side of the building. _

_"N-No way! It climbed up the wall?" Yukari reached for her gun and put it to her forehead. "I can do this...nngh..." Yukari began hesitating. _

_"Agi..." The monster hit Yukari with a fire spell, causing Yukari to drop her gun. The gun spun towards Minako, who picked up the gun. She began observing it, then put the gun to her temple. She put her left hand over her chest. The monster began moving closer to them._

_"...Per...So...Na..." Minako pulled the trigger, and something appeared above Minako._

_"Thou art I...and I am thou..." Orpheus stated._

_However, a wave of evil energy seeped out of Orpheus. Minako held her head in pain as something came out of Orpheus. Minako screamed out in agony._

_"Raaaawr!" The being roared. _

_..._

_..._

**Memories of Awakening End...**

Everyone opened their eyes in astonishment.

"S-So, that's what happened on that day...?" Yukari was shaken up. "I was unconscious through most of the fight..."

"What was that thing that came out of Orpheus?" Akihiko asked Ryoji.

Ryoji frowned. "That...was my true form. I was inside of Minako, afterall..."

Everyone gasped.

"So, that thing...was Death?" Aigis asked. Ryoji nodded.

"But wait...Minako fought the shadow and defeated it...why haven't we seen that part of her memory?" Yukari asked.

Ryoji smiled. "That's where you guys come in...you have to defeat the shadow. I'll warn you...it's not the same pitiful shadow...it's much stronger..."

All of a sudden, that very shadow appeared before them.

"Raaaaawr!" The shadow yelled.

"Fuuka, Rise-chan, analyze the enemy!" Akihiko yelled.

Fuuka summoned Juno, and Rise summoned Kanzeon. They began analyzing the enemy. "*gasp* It has no weaknesses, and is immune to Hama and Mudo skills!" They both yelled.

The shadow got closer to them.

"...Tch." Shinjiro readied his evoker.

"Wait, Shinji! Your body isn't as strong as it used to be...you could die if you summon Castor!" Akihiko yelled. Shinjiro glared at him, but deep down...he knew he was right.

"Shinjiro-san, leave this fight to us..." Ken told Shinjiro.

They all surrounded the shadow, and the fight began...

"Maragidyne..." the shadow called. Huge bursts of flames attacked each member. Yukiko, Junpei, and Koromaru managed to block the attack, but Teddie fell down. The shadow attacked with one more Maragidyne.

"Teddie is seriously injured!" Rise yelled.

"Diarahan!" Yukiko summoned Amaterasu and healed Teddie.

"Thank you beary much!" Teddie yelled.

"Ziodyne!" Akihiko yelled. Caesar attacked the shadow. It didn't do much damage.

"Primal Force!" Kanji and Ken both yelled at once. Rokuten Maoh and Kala-Nemi attacked the shadow. Again, it took out 1/4 of the enemy's health.

"Good job, Kanji-kun, Ken-kun!" Fuuka praised.

Realizing that everyone was getting low on health, Yukari summoned Isis. "Mediarahan!" Everyone was fully healed.

"Megidolaon!" Naoto yelled. Yamato Takeru appeared and summoned a flash of light, obliterating the whole area. It didn't do much damage to the shadow.

Teddie managed to stand up. "Bufudyne!" Kamui attacked the shadow. The shadow's health was at the halfway mark.

"Great job, Teddie!" Rise cheered.

"Brave Blade!" Yosuke yelled. Susano-o threw his blade at the enemy. It was a critical hit.

"Nice work, Yosuke-senpai!" Rise yelled. However, the enemy didn't falter.

"Huh? Why didn't it fall down?" Fuuka yelled.

"This enemy is stronger than before, remember?" Ryoji said from the sidelines.

"God's Hand!" Chie summoned Suzuka Gongen. It attacked the shadow. The shadow dodged the attack.

Souji summoned his card. "Izanagi-no-Okami, Garudyne!" Izanagi-no-Okami came forth, and summoned a huge gust of wind. The enemy was getting weaker.

"Nice job, Souji-kun!" Fuuka yelled.

Junpei readied his evoker. "Trismegistus, Agidyne!" The enemy dodged the attack.

"Arooooo!" Koromaru howled. Cerberus used Agidyne on the shadow as well. The shadow only had 1/4 of his energy left.

"Good job! One more attack should finish it off!" Rise yelled.

"Athena, Fatal End!" Aigis yelled. Athena attacked. However, the shadow blocked the attack.

"Wh-What?" Fuuka was shocked.

"Megidolaon..." The shadow attacked the team. Everyone lost half their energy.

"Megidolaon..." The shadow attacked again. Everyone was almost out of energy.

"D-Damn it..." Akihiko began panting.

"No...we came so far!" Yukari yelled.

Meanwhile, from the sidelines, Shinjiro was staring helplessly as the team was getting weaker and weaker.

'There must be something I can do...'

Ryoji looked at Shinjiro. "Do you want to save them...?"

Shinjiro looked at Ryoji. "..."

"Who knows? ...You might gain a new power when summoning your persona..." Ryoji smirked and turned his attention back to the rest of the team.

'...A new power...?' Shinjiro grunted and readied his Evoker. He ran into the fight.

"N-No! Aragaki-senpai, you'll be killed!" Fuuka screamed.

Rise analyzed Shinjiro's state. She could tell that his body was in an unstable condition. "You must stay out of the fight!" Rise screamed as well.

But Shinjiro didn't listen. He put his Evoker to his temple.

"No, Shinji!" Akihiko yelled.

"PERSONA!" Shinjiro yelled and pulled the trigger. Castor came forth, but all of a sudden...Castor began glowing.

"Wh-What's happening?" Ken asked.

Castor then got completely engulfed in a bright light.

_"Thou art I...and I am thou..." _

"!" Everyone stared at Castor in astonishment, as Castor began a transformation. As the light was slowly fading, the silhouette of a persona could be seen. But it wasn't Castor...it was _her_ persona.

_The bond they shared has finally been awakened...the memories they shared have finally become one...Castor has morphed into Orpheus!_

Everyone looked at Orpheus in shock.

"That's...That's Minako's persona!" Akihiko yelled.

Just as the shadow was about to attack again, Shinjiro stepped in between the shadow and his comrades. He looked at the shadow with a cold stare.

"Orpheus...Ragnorak!"

* * *

Wow! I wrote this, and even I loved the ending to my chapter lol. Oh, and I'm sure most of you noticed that I left out huge chunks from the game, such as when Ikutsuki, Yukari, and Mitsuru were spying on Minako as she slept, or when Akihiko came back to the dorm after being chased by the shadow...well, I left those parts out cause since these are based on Minako's memories, there was no way that she could have know any of that was happening, being that she was asleep the whole time that stuff happened. I just wanted to explain that to you all. Once again, I thank _Xoraan_ for the awesome reviews. I hoped you liked this chapter, and please review!


	8. Feelings of Grievance

...*sigh*. I'm so sorry that it took longer than expected to write this chapter. I have so much homework, and I've been suffering from writer's block (seriously, it took me a few hours to figure out what each character will say...). I'm sorry if this chapter sounds awkward/terrible/boring...I've been going through the natural stresses of 11th grade...

And most recently, I've been fangirling over other characters from the Persona series...namely a certain narcissist who wields a guitar case with a hidden machine gun. God, I love him. Anyone else excited about _Persona 2 Portable: Innocent Sin_? I sure am! I REALLY hope that they localize it in the USA.

Well, don't want to ramble on too much. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

"Orpheus, Ragnorak!"

Orpheus grabbed a hold of his harp, and unleashed a huge pillar of fire upon the shadow.

"EEEEEEEEK!" The shadow screeched a piercing cry, before disappearing into the darkness. Everyone was speechless.

"Wow, Shinjiro-senpai...that was awesome!" Junpei yelled.

Everyone surrounded Shinjiro, who was looking rather uncomfortable.

"I see...you too, have acquired the Wild Card, because you wish to seek the truth..." Aigis explained.

"That's right...Aigis gained _her_ power as well, back when we got locked in the dorm!" Yukari said.

"And thanks to Aragaki-senpai, the shadow was defeated!" Fuuka said, smiling.

"We should celebrate, how about some Hagakure Bowls...Hey Akihiko-senpai, you're buying, alright?" Junpei yelled to Akihiko.

Akihiko looked distraught. He wasn't even paying attention to what everyone else was saying.

"...What's wrong with him?" Junpei asked.

Souji was observing Akihiko. '...Jealousy is a powerful thing, it seems...' He smirked.

Ryoji smiled at everyone. "Great job, you got through your first ordeal without much trouble! I say we leave this place and continue for another day." Ryoji pushed open the door and left. "Hurry up, or else you might hear some things that are better left unheard!"

Everyone had question marks over their heads.

"...What the hell does THAT mean?" Kanji asked. He walked out the door. Chie, Yukiko, and Rise followed suit.

Naoto was staring at Akihiko as well. "...Akihiko-san..."

Souji put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll be fine...he's just a little...jealous right now."

"Jealous...? Of what?" Naoto asked.

"Well, we all know that Akihiko-san loved Minako-san in the past...then all of a sudden, Shinjiro-san gets _her_ powers, while Akihiko-san had no choice but to watch helplessly as Shinjiro-san beat the shadow with _her_ persona..." Souji explained. "...I just hope that this conflict won't get in the way of our mission."

Naoto smiled. "I think we should leave them be..."

Souji nodded. He looked back at Yosuke and Teddie. "Hey, let's leave...I'm getting a headache..." He told them, trying to come up with an excuse.

"A-Are you gonna feel better, Sensei?" Teddie said, worried. Souji rolled his eyes.

"Umm, I think he just wants us to leave _now_." Yosuke said forcefully, pulling the bear along with him. The four of them left.

Meanwhile, Shinjiro was staring at his Evoker, while almost everyone else already left.

'I...what the hell just happened...?' Shinjiro asked himself. 'Did I...inherit Minako's power?'

Akihiko stepped forward. "You defeated the shadow, Shinji...with Orpheus."

Shinjiro looked at him, not saying anything.

Akihiko continued. "...Once again, you received something that belonged to Minako. First you received her trust...then you received her love, her final words before she left this world, her headphones, her memories...and now her persona..." He bit his lip. "...And what do I get? Nothing...I loved her just as much as you did back then...and I receive nothing from her..."

"...Aki, she trusted you more than anyone else." Shinjiro told him. Akihiko looked at him with rage in his eyes. "She trusted me, but I couldn't do a single thing to protect her when she really needed me! I even asked her if there was any way she could stop fighting...but that was a stupid question on my part..."

"..." Shinjiro stared at Akihiko. "...Do you hate me?"

"!" Akihiko hadn't really thought about it until now. Thoughts were racing through his mind. How could he hate his best friend? They knew each other since childhood. They went to the same orphanage. Shinjiro helped him move on, instead of constantly beating himself over the fact that he couldn't save Miki.

"...Do you feel hatred in your heart whenever you see me?" Shinjiro asked bluntly. "I didn't ask for this to happen. I didn't ask for Minako to leave this world, and I didn't ask to receive her abilities and memories."

Akihiko glared at Shinjiro. "Even if you never asked for all those things...you don't seem angry or sad over the fact that you did receive her power. That leads me to believe that deep in your heart, you wanted this to happen all along." He looked down. "...Remember back when we were locked up in the dorm? And how Aigis received Minako's power...at first I voted to leave the dorm, since it didn't seem right to bring her back after she sacrificed her life to save ours...you sided with bringing her back, and that made me angry."

Shinjiro just looked at his friend. Akihiko's eyes were getting watery. "And then...we learned the truth. We learned that she didn't become the Seal to seal away Nyx...but rather, she became the Seal to prevent everyone's desires for death to reach Nyx. After that, I swore to myself that I would help her bear that burden. But after finding out that Souji wiped out all of humanity's wish for death...Now Minako could finally be free."

"..."

"I'm sure that you receiving all of this is a sign that you're the one who Minako trusts the most _now_." Akihiko stated. "But I just can't accept that...not yet. Once you prove to me that you are worthy of her trust...and her love...then I'll forgive you...maybe..." Akihiko walked out of the Labyrinth of Memories without looking back.

Shinjiro continued to stare at Akihiko. '...Forgive me for what...? Idiot...' Shinjiro walked out as well.

~Shinjiro's room, late night~

The Dark Hour had finally ended, and Shinjiro was asleep in his apartment room. All of a sudden, he felt his mind drift away...

"Master Shinjiro..."

"?" Shinjiro awoke in the Velvet Room, sitting in a chair opposite a couch. On that couch, was Igor, wearing the same grin he was wearing the last time Shinjiro visited this place.

"...Damn it..." Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.

"Ah, I see that you're awake! Splendid!" Igor chuckled. "I see that you have gained the power of the Wild Card...and not just any power, but Minako's power as well! From this day forth, you may summon multiple personas."

Shinjiro looked at Igor. "...So, I basically have the same power as her, huh?"

Igor nodded. "By tapping into your persona compendium, you may summon any persona that Minako used along her journey!"

Before Igor could finish, a flash of blue light came from a door. A woman emerged from it. Shinjiro stared at her. '...I must be losing my mind or something...'

"Ah, there you are! How did your search go?" Igor asked.

The woman frowned. "Not good...Margaret is trying her best to persuade Theodore to return with us...but he refused..."

Igor laughed. "I see! So, where is he, then?"

"We found him at the top floor of the Labyrinth of Memories...where Minako's seal was transferred after Erebus disappeared..." The woman explained.

Shinjiro flinched. "At the top floor? How the hell did this person get there?"

Igor returned his attention towards Shinjiro. "Ah, you see...one of my assistants fell in love with Minako sometime along the way, and wanted to help her in any way he could...so, he entered the Labyrinth of Memories and managed to bypass all the obstacles to reach her!"

"...That's bullshit...why is it that he can bypass all the obstacles, but we can't?" Shinjiro yelled.

Igor laughed again. "Simple: He defeated all the obstacles without them even injuring him!"

Shinjiro looked surprised. "H-How is that even possible?"

"I'll let him tell you once you arrive at the top floor." Igor said. "Now then..." He turned his attention to the woman. "I believe you know what to do?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, master..." She looked at Shinjiro. "I'm honored to meet you, Shinjiro Aragaki...my name is Elizabeth. I would like to present to you Master Minako's persona compendium."

She handed Shinjiro a book. He opened it, and immediately, a bunch of persona came rushing out at once.

"These are all the personas Master Minako fused during her journey...you may use any one of them if you wish, but you have a limit to only carry four personas at a time. You are still a new bearer of the Wild Card, after all." Elizabeth explained. "The next time you visit us, I'll let you summon some personas."

"Now that that's settled...is there anything else you wish to know?" Igor asked.

"...Are you the one who rules over this 'Velvet Room'...?" Shinjiro asked.

Igor shook his head. "I am but a mere puppet. My master's name is Philemon...but that is something best explained for another time." He chuckled. "Farewell..."

Shinjiro drifted out of consciousness...

...

...

~Morning~

The sunlight was pouring itself down upon Shinjiro's face. Shinjiro awoke with a headache.

'...What the hell...?' He put his hand on his forehead. 'That's right...I was transported to the 'Velvet Room'...'

Shinjiro got out of bed. Koromaru was there to greet him.

"woof woof!" Koromaru barked.

Shinjiro smiled gently at the shiba inu. "Looks like you're in good spirits, Koro-chan..." 'Can't say the same thing about me...'

Shinjiro smiled sadly and walked out of his apartment, with Koromaru close behind.

* * *

~?, Morning~

"*Yawn*" Souji awoke from his bed. The gang and Ryoji have been sleeping at a nearby hotel while in Iwatodai. Souji walked into the kitchen to find Yukiko cooking breakfast.

"Hey...what're you making?" Souji asked.

Yukiko smiled at him. "Omelet and friend rice. Would you like some?"

Souji smiled back. "Sure." He took a seat on the couch in front of the TV. He just stared at his own reflection until breakfast was ready. When Yukiko handed him his omelet, she giggled.

"I don't think staring at your reflection will do anything, anymore..."

Souji smirked. "I was just passing the time. So, how have you been holding up? With all this battling and memories...?"

Yukiko looked at him. "As long as I help people in need, I'll keep fighting, and I'll never give up. Don't you feel the same way, Souji-kun?"

"...Yeah." Souji shrugged. "I just...have this feeling that something bad is going to happen once this is all over..."

Yukiko sat down next to him. "Something bad always happens, but we always manage to get through it, don't we?"

"Right...by the way, what do you think of the others? SEES, I mean?" Souji asked.

Yukiko began thinking. "Aigis-san and I have bonded a lot since our visit to Naganaki Shrine. And Yukari-san, Junpei-san, and Fuuka-san seem like really nice people. Ken-kun seems really mature for his age. But I don't know about Akihiko-san and Shinjiro-san...they look like best friends, but the way they've been acting around each other..."

Souji nodded. "Those two are definitely unique."

Yukiko frowned. "...Best friends shouldn't fight with each other...it's not right..."

"Don't get yourself into it...it's their problem, only they can handle it." Souji told her.

"...I know..." Yukiko smiled slightly. "...Oh, I see that you're done with your omelet. Ummm, let me...ahhh!" As Yukiko got up, she accidently tripped, causing herself to fall on top of Souji. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Souji-kun!" She said, blushing.

Souji looked at her, a slight blush appearing on his face as well. "It's alright..."

"Well, look what we have here! A couple of love birds!" Yosuke yelled, walking into the room.

Souji rolled his eyes. "...Grow up, Yosuke..."

Yosuke began laughing. "Haha you know I'm kidding. Anyway...what were you guys talking about?"

By that time, Yukiko recovered. She got off of Souji and walked into the kitchen. Souji looked at Yosuke. "Nothing really...just about the case and how it's turning out so far."

Yosuke nodded. "We haven't even done much so far, and I'm already tired. But man, the stunt that Shinjiro-san pulled yesterday was awesome! He summoned a new persona mid-battle, destroying the shadow before it killed us!"

Naoto walked into the room. "Can you be any louder?"

"Oh, sorry, Naoto-kun." Yosuke smiled awkwardly. "I was just talking with Souji about yesterday's fight with the shadow."

Naoto nodded. "I know...I heard you from all the way down the hall." She looked in Souji's direction. "This case is certainly turning into an interesting one...it seems to revolve heavily on the relationship that Shinjiro-san had with Minako Arisato..."

Souji nodded. "I agree...but I don't think that's the only thing going on..."

Yosuke looked at him. "What do you mean...?"

Naoto frowned. "You noticed too, Souji-senpai? I can't help but think that something is going to happen that will put a strain Akihiko-san and Shinjiro-san's friendship...they seem to be fighting quite a lot over what's been happening."

"I believe that we should just stay out of it." Souji declared. "We shouldn't get into other people's businesses like that."

Yosuke and Naoto looked at him. "...Aren't you the one that always gets into other people's businesses, even if they don't want you to know?" Yosuke said, smirking.

Souji scratched his head. "...Point taken."

The three of them laughed.

"By the way...where're the others? Still sleeping?" Souji asked.

Naoto nodded. "Chie-senpai, Kanji-kun, and Rise-chan are still asleep...and Teddie and Ryoji-kun are up to something in Teddie's room. I heard them talking about...n-nevermind."

"What?" Yosuke said, sounding curious.

Naoto blushed. "N-Nevermind!"

Yosuke sighed. Yukiko walked back in the room.

"Oh, good morning Yosuke...Naoto-kun..." Yukiko said, smiling.

"Morning." Yosuke said.

Naoto wasn't paying attention to her. "So...what do you think is going to happen, next?"

Souji began thinking. "...Well..."

Before he could answer, Ryoji and Teddie walked into the room.

"Ta-da-da-dah!" Teddie cheered. "We need to lighten up the mood around here. All this talk about memories is beginning to make me into a depressed bear!"

"Which is why we planned something for us to do at night before we go back into the Labyrinth of Memories!" Ryoji smiled.

Naoto covered her eyes with her hat. "I overheard you guys talking about it, and I want no part of it."

Souji, Yosuke, and Yukiko looked at each other.

"What do you have planned, exactly...?" Yosuke asked, suspicious.

"You'll just have to wait to find out." Teddie said, winking.

Yukiko looked at Naoto. "...What are they planning?"

Naoto grimaced. "...Remember back when we went on the field trip to Tatsumi Port Island...? And how we played a certain..._game_...?"

Yosuke's eyes widened. "D-Don't tell me...is it...!"

Teddie began to pout. "Awww, it was supposed to be a secret!"

Yukiko looked at Teddie with angry eyes. Yosuke frowned. "Imagine when Kanji hears this news..."

Ryoji shrugged. "I've never played, so I thought it'd be fun playing with the others."

Teddie grinned. "We were all drunk last time, so that wasn't a real experience! We need to be sober when playing!"

Naoto's face looked apathetic. "...Didn't I tell you last time that you guys weren't drunk? There wasn't even any alcohol!"

Teddie frowned. "Details are unimportant!" He looked at Souji. "Sensei, I think we should get together at that club we went to back then, again! Like the good old days!"

"..." Souji felt like he had a migraine. "...Alright..."

"Yippee!" Teddie cheered.

"Wow, Souji-kun didn't even put up an argument...he must really want to do this!" Ryoji said, grinning.

Souji began walking down the hall. "I'm not even going to answer that. Wake me up when it's time to leave." He closed the door to his room behind him.

Yosuke smirked. "I think you made him pop a blood vessel..."

"Oh no! He's not going to die, is he?" Teddie yelled.

"*sweat-drop* N-No...he's not going to die..." Yosuke said, looking pained.

"...I'm going back to bed as well...I feel tired all of a sudden." Naoto said, and walked back down the hall to her room. Yukiko walked back to her room, as well. She looked angry.

"Well, it looks like it's just us three: Three lone wolves on the prowl." Teddie chimed in. "Lone wolves hungry for action...what happens in this room, stays in this room..."

Yosuke frowned. "...Oh, hell no..." He walked back down the hall as well.

Teddie frowned. "Aww come on, I wasn't serious!"

Ryoji laughed. "It's alright, let's get some rest so we have enough energy for tonight. Are we really going to play it...?"

Teddie smiled. "Yup!"

Ryoji smiled. "Shouldn't we tell the others about it, first...?"

"Nope, that would ruin the fun of it!" Teddie yelled.

Ryoji smirked and they both high-fived each other.

"KING'S GAME!"

* * *

Well, I hope I get over my writer's block soon...in the meantime, I hope you loved the ending to this chapter. I certainly didn't expect to put it in my story, but I said "What the heck". Besides...the yaoi-ness of that portion of P4 made me LMAO. I thank you all who have reviewed my story and have stayed loyal in reading it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review!

PS: I wrote a one-shot on the side called _Regrets, Remorse, and Redemption_. If you haven't read it already, I would love to hear your opinions on it. By writing that story, I had hoped to improve on Mitsuru's characterization, as well as certain ways of describing battles, since I need to work on that. So any reviews/criticism you give me is greatly appreciated, and thank you!


	9. King's Game

Okay, here it is: the King's Game chapter! I hope I added enough funny/embarrassing/awkward moments. I had a hard time picking some out. For this chapter, I would love to thank _xAvaAdore_ for the advice on funny scenes involving certain characters. Well, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~?, Evening~

"Wake up, Sensei!" Teddie yelled. Souji awoke from his bed for the second time that day.

"...So, you're really going through with this, huh?" Souji asked.

Teddie nodded. "Yup! Ryoji and the others are waiting for us! C'mon!" Teddie grabbed Souji and pushed him out the door.

"H-Hey!" Souji began to protest. He got pushed all the way out to the main room of their hotel room.

"Senpai, what are they planning?" Rise asked.

Naoto and Yukiko looked at her. Naoto whispered something in Rise's ear.

"*gasp* Really? Hooray, I'm so excited!" Rise cheered. "King's Game!"

Kanji groaned. "What? Seriously...?"

Chie frowned. "Again, huh?"

Ryoji got mad. "Hey, you weren't supposed to tell them!"

"It's not like we all don't know what it is already." Naoto said. "Let's just keep it a secret from the others who have yet to play it."

"Right. I already called Akihiko-san to let everyone know to meet us down at Paulownia Mall." Yosuke told them. "They're going there now as we speak."

"Then let's hurry!" Teddie yelled. Everyone walked out the door and headed to Paulownia Mall.

~Paulownia Mall, Evening~

When Souji, Yosuke, Yukiko, Chie, Kanji, Naoto, Rise, Teddie, and Ryoji arrived at Paulownia Mall, everyone else was waiting for them.

"Hey." Souji said.

"Hey to you, as well." Akihiko said. "What are we doing here, anyway?"

Ryoji stepped forward. "We decided to hang out at Club Escapade, and thought you guys would like to join us."

They looked at each other. Junpei was more than excited. Everyone else on the other hand...

"Why would we hang out at Club Escapade? I mean, Akihiko-senpai is old enough, but we're not even old enough to drink, yet!" Yukari said.

"We're not going there to drink!" Rise yelled. "Besides, Escapade stopped selling alcoholic beverages a while ago."

They were still reluctant to go. Teddie stepped forward.

"Come on, we want to play a game with you guys! It will be fuuuuun!" Teddie cheered.

"What kind of game...?" Fuuka asked.

"You'll see..." Ryoji said, smirking. "...Hey, where's Aigis...?"

Yukari looked at him. "She said that she was going to take it easy until the mission tonight."

Junpei looked excited. "Well, I'm up for it!" He yelled and ran to the entrance of the club.

Yukari frowned. "...Stupei..." Nevertheless, she reluctantly agreed and walked over to the club.

"Hooray!" Teddie yelled. He and Ryoji ran to the entrance as well.

While everyone else was walking into Escapade, Souji noticed something, or rather, someone...was missing.

"Hey, Akihiko-san, where's Shinjiro-san?" Souji asked.

Akihiko turned around. "I called him saying that we were going to do something before the next mission...but he said that he didn't feel like going. He said that he didn't want to get involved in whatever it was you guys were planning..." He said suspiciously.

Souji scratched his head. "It's not as bad as one would think...not as long as your sociably awkward, or something." He walked into the club.

Akihiko's eyes widened. '...Yeah...sociably awkward...' He walked into the club as well.

~Club Escapade, Evening~

Club Escapade, 2nd floor. Everyone was seated around the drink table in the middle of the floor.

"Ok, guess what time it is?" Teddie yelled.

The former members of SEES all looked at each other.

"KING'S GAAAAAAME!" Rise cheered.

Yukari's eyes widened. "Y-You mean that one game where you declare something, and whoever gets the short stick has to do it...?"

Teddie nodded. "Yup! I see our fair maiden has heard about it!"

Yukari grimaced. "Well, I've never played it before, but...Minako told me about how she would play it sometimes..."

Ryoji smiled. "Wow, so Minako had a _hidden_ side to her, did she?"

"Anyway...what are the rules?" Akihiko asked.

Rise chimed in. "Okie dokie, we have one chopstick for each person. That's 15 chopsticks in all! One stick will be red, which makes you the King, and the others have numbers on them! Then the King will say a number, and tells that person what to do. However, the King will have no idea who has that number! They won't know who has the number until AFTER they give the order!"

Everyone groaned.

"I remember what happened when we first played this..." Kanji shuddered.

"Awww, it wasn't so bad..." Teddie smiled widely.

"Okay, everyone choose a chopstick!" Rise yelled.

Everyone received a chopstick. Akihiko looked down at it and saw that he received a red chopstick.

"Alright...who's the King?" Ryoji asked.

Akihiko remained silent. He continued to stare at the stick. Junpei eyeballed him and grabbed his chopstick.

"H-Hey, Junpei!" Akihiko yelled.

"Akihiko-senpai has the red stick!" Junpei yelled.

"Alright, Akihiko-san, say and order, then yell out a number!" Rise yelled. "Remember, the order has to be something extreme!"

"Umm...ah...I-I..." Akihiko was having trouble asking something. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks. "Uhhh..."

"...?" Naoto looked at Akihiko. "What's wrong, Akihiko-san?"

"N-Nothing...!" Akihiko yelled without realizing he raised his voice.

Junpei sighed. "Same old Senpai..."

"Is it alright if we skip Akihiko-senpai? He looks like he's about to die of embarrassment..." Yukari said.

Teddie shook his head. "Nope! Once you pull the King's stick, you have to say an order! It's the law!"

Akihiko tried to regain his composure. 'I can do this...' "I...Uh...I command thee to...e-embrace the King..."

Junpei was in a state of shock. "Whoa...! Senpai, I can't believe you said something like that! For some reason, I thought you'd say something like 'buy me a beef bowl' haha." Junpei smiled.

"D-Don't be stupid..." Akihiko said to him.

"Hey, you didn't call out a number!" Rise yelled.

Akihiko looked at her. "Oh...! Umm...number...12?"

Yukiko stood up. "M-Me...?"

Yosuke laughed. "Why're you so surprised? You did the exact same thing last year!"

Yukiko looked angry. "Hey, I was drunk!"

"How could you have been drunk when there wasn't any alcohol...?" Naoto asked.

"Ugh, hurry it up, already!" Teddie yelled.

Yukiko walked over to Akihiko. She sat down on his lap and embraced him.

'This is so wrong...' Yukiko thought. Akihiko was blushing a fierce red color. He was in such shock by the close body contact that he couldn't even move.

"Uh oh...I think Akihiko-san's broken..." Ken said. He poked Akihiko's face. Not a single sign of movement.

Yukiko got off of Akihiko. "Oh my, I'm sorry!"

Akihiko still remained motionless.

"...Hey, snap out of it, will ya?" Junpei punched Akihiko.

"...!" Akihiko rubbed his cheek. "What did I do...?"

Junpei's eyes widened. "Seriously? Man, you are so awkward around girls, it's almost embarrassing..."

"Alright...NEXT!" Rise yelled. Everyone chose a chopstick again.

"Kay, who's the King this time?" Teddie asked.

"Umm...m-me..." Ken said, raising his hand. Everyone stared at him.

"How old is he...? Should he really be playing this...?" Kanji asked Souji.

Souji shrugged. "King's Game is law..."

"I don't think we should let a kid play this..." Chie said.

Ken looked angry. "I'm not a kid...! I command thee to French kiss the King!" He yelled without even realizing what he was saying.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Wh-Where does this kid learn this stuff?" Yosuke yelled.

"Number 3!" Ken yelled.

Naoto's face went pale. She stood up, trying to maintain her calm composure.

"Oh, man...of all people, it HAD to be Naoto..." Yosuke had a pained look on his face, as did Souji. Kanji looked uncomfortable.

"This should be illegal or something...!" Yukari yelled.

Ken stood up and stood in front of Naoto. Naoto blushed slightly.

"Uh...D-Do I have to...?" Naoto asked, fidgeting.

"Hmph, how many times do I have to repeat myself? King's Game is LAW!" Teddie yelled.

Naoto sighed, and looked down at Ken. She was hesitating, but slowly leaned down to kiss Ken. 'I know I shouldn't be doing this...' Naoto thought.

Before Naoto could react, Ken kissed her, and he entered his tongue into Naoto's mouth. Naoto shrieked a little when he did that. After a few seconds, they released.

"Wh-What just happened...?" Chie's eyes were wide.

"Ken just..." Junpei looked as shocked as ever.

"Uh..." Fuuka couldn't even speak.

"How did you know what a...F-French kiss was, Ken-kun...?" Yukari asked.

Ken looked at her, blushing. "Uh, well...Minako-san explained it to me a while back..."

"Why would you want to know what a French kiss is?" Yosuke yelled. "...And why would she even TELL you, for that matter?"

Before Ken could answer, Chie kicked Yosuke.

"Owwww!"

"Stop putting your nose in other people's business!" Chie yelled back.

"Okaaaay...moving on!" Everyone chose another chopstick.

Teddie began cheering. "This is so exciting, four people are already eliminated!"

"Who's the King?" Rise asked.

"Yes! ME!" Ryoji yelled, standing up.

"...Oh God..." Yukari frowned.

Ryoji began to think. Everyone else was staring at him restlessly, wondering what kind of perverted thing he would command.

"Hmmm...Ah!" Ryoji came up with something. "I command thee to sleep with the King!"

Yukari punched Ryoji.

"Owww!" Ryoji winced in pain.

"Think of something else!" Yukari said angrily.

"Awwww..." Ryoji sighed. "...I command thee to make out with the King!"

All the girls sighed.

"Let me see...number...1!"

...

"...Well, who's number 1?" Souji asked.

"I'm late for something, I have to go..." Yukari said and was about to leave. However, Junpei stopped her.

"Oooh, Yuka-tan has number 1!" Junpei said, grinning.

"I-I do not!" Yukari yelled. Junpei looked at the stick she was holding. It clearly said '1' on it.

"...Then what's that...?" Junpei asked, pointing to the stick in her hand.

Yukari frowned.

"Alright, you have to make out with Ryoji-kun!" Rise cheered.

Junpei pushed Yukari over to where Ryoji was standing. Ryoji wore a huge smile on his face.

"...Argh..." Yukari blushed, while at the same time having an angry scowl on her face. She leaned in and kissed Ryoji. They were kissing for a good 45 seconds, before Yukari released her lips from his.

"There, you guys happy?" She yelled.

Ryoji chuckled. "See? I knew you couldn't resist me..."

Yukari gave him a death glare.

"Two more contestants out! Next..." Once again, everyone chose a chopstick.

"Who's the King this time?" Rise asked.

Yosuke raised his hand.

"Alright, what do you declare, my King?" Teddie said adoringly.

Yosuke began thinking. "Please, oh please let it be a girl...I command thee to slow dance with the King, number 13!"

All of a sudden, Junpei shot up from his seat. "Whaaaaa?"

Everyone began laughing. Yosuke was unamused. "No. No way in hell am I slow dancing with a _guy_!"

"Sorry, man...you declared it, so you _must_ do it." Kanji smiled, relishing the moment.

Junpei then grew a large grin on his face. "Well, I guess that I'm your dance partner...just to clear things up, though..._you're_ the girl, Brosuke!"

Yosuke was taken aback. "Wh-What? Why me?"

"Heh, obviously, you look more like a girl than I do...I mean, a girl with a goatee would be just..." Junpei shuddered at the thought.

Yosuke grimaced. "Argh..."

Junpei bowed to Yosuke. "May I have this dance, _madam_...?" He stretched out his hand.

Everyone tried their hardest to keep in their laughter.

"...You're seriously pushing it..." Yosuke took Junpei's hand and they began dancing what looked like a pathetic excuse of a waltz. Yosuke was moving very awkwardly as they both tried to keep in synch with each other.

Rise burst out in laughter. "NO! You two need to be _closer_! No space between you when dancing!" She pushed Junpei and Yosuke closer together so that their bodies came in direct contact with each other.

"Rise-chan!" Yosuke yelled angrily.

Junpei on the other hand, winked at Yosuke. "No need to be shy, Brosuke!"

Yosuke's eyes widened. '...Either this guy is seriously good at acting, or he's...'

Everyone else just stared at them dancing.

"Wow...Yosuke-senpai looks like he's suffering..." Naoto stated.

'I think we're _all_ suffering...' Souji thought, scratching his head.

For the grand finale, Junpei spun Yosuke around, and dipped him. Junpei's hand was holding Yosuke up from falling. He then helped Yosuke up. Yosuke looked shocked.

"And that's the way slow dancing is done, ladies!" Junpei said, bowing to the crowd.

Yukari and Fuuka stared at him.

"Umm, so you enjoyed dancing with Yosuke-kun...?" Fuuka asked.

"Wow, I didn't know you liked guys...Stupei." Yukari teased.

Junpei widened his eyes. "What? Not like that, Yuka-tan!"

Ken chuckled. "Whatever you say, Senpai..."

Junpei frowned. "Even you're doubting me, Ken? I thought we were buddies? ...I give up...there's just no point in reasoning with you people!" He sighed.

Everyone began laughing. Akihiko looked at his watch. It read '10:55pm'.

"Wow, it's that late already?" Akihiko said. "We should get a little rest in before the next ordeal..."

Ryoji nodded. "I agree. As much as I would love to continue on with this game, I think we should all get ready."

'Thank god...' Yukari thought. She got up from her seat.

"Awww, but I didn't have a turn!" Teddie pouted.

Yosuke glared at him. "Too bad." He pushed Teddie down the stairs and out the door.

Everyone else walked down the stairs and out the door as well. On the way out, however, as Junpei was the last one to exit the building...

"Gah!" Junpei ran into someone who was walking past Escapade. The person, a young woman wearing a ruffled black and white dress, dropped a bunch of belongings and kneeled down to pick them up.

"Oh, sorry...here, let me help you..." Junpei said, kneeling down as well.

"..." The woman said nothing. She just stared at him as he was picking up her stuff. "...You don't need to help me. I'm fine."

Junpei looked at her. She hung her head down, looking at her things strewn over the ground. "Haha, I want to help you though...mainly cause I'm the one that made you drop your stuff in the first place."

"..." The woman remained silent. Junpei sighed and continued to pick up her things. However, one item in particular caught him off guard. He paused briefly, before picking it up: It was a red covered sketchbook.

"Oh...you like to draw...?" Junpei asked uneasily. "That's good..."

"It's no big deal...I only draw because I like to..." The woman told him.

"...!" Junpei felt a sudden déjà vu at that moment. He couldn't believe what he heard.

"Umm, e-excuse me...but...what's your name...?" Junpei asked.

The woman looked at her hands. "...Why...?"

"Please, I just have to know..." Junpei pleaded.

"..." The woman looked at him for the first time throughout their conversation, and his eyes widened.

"Chidori." The woman said.

Junpei just stared at her. Tears began to form in his eyes, but he tried to resist the urge to cry. Of course, now he remembered. How could he have forgotten that long red hair, and her odd gothic lolita style clothing...?

"Ch-Chidori..." Junpei wiped the tears in his eyes.

Chidori stared at him. "Did I say something to offend you...?" She asked, reaching out to touch his face. He reluctantly backed away from her.

"Oh, no...it's just that..." Junpei bit his lip. "...You just remind me of someone I knew a few years ago...someone very precious to me..."

Chidori frowned. "Is that so...? I don't remember much of my past...but something about you seems...familiar to me." She looked at him again. "Have we met before?"

Junpei was taken aback by her question. 'She vaguely remembers me? Even after she lost all her memories of the Dark Hour and her Persona abilities...? Then that means I have a chance of getting her to fully remember me!' However, Junpei sighed. '...No, that wouldn't be fair for her...it's good that she has no memories of those times, and I don't want her to remember _everything_...' Junpei clutched his chest where his heart was beating. '...I can still feel your soul beating alongside mine, Chidori...that's enough for me...'

Junpei looked back at Chidori. "...No, you must have mistaken me for someone else. Heh, I guess we both look like someone we knew in the past, huh?" Junpei forced a smile.

"I guess so..." A faint smile appeared on Chidori's face. Junpei stood up.

"Here's all the stuff you dropped." He said, handing her belongings back to her. "Will we see each other again around here...?"

Chidori took back her things. "Maybe...I enjoy walking around to think things through. I hope we meet again, as well." She smiled.

Junpei blushed.

"After today, I feel connected to you somehow...why is that...?" Chidori asked.

Junpei scratched his head. "...Beats me..."

Chidori looked at him. "Thank you for helping me...umm..."

"Junpei..."

Chidori smiled. "...Junpei..." As she was walking off, Junpei realized that he was still holding her sketchbook.

"Hey, you forgot this!" Junpei yelled.

Chidori turned around. "Keep it...I have many more. I doubt you'll understand my pictures...I barely understand them myself." She told him. "I'll see you later...Junpei..." And with that, Chidori walked off.

Junpei continued to look in the direction she left in. He then look down at her sketchbook. 'She told me the exact same thing when we first met two years ago...I wonder what she drew this time...' He opened her sketchbook.

"!" Junpei was shocked. Right on the first page, was a landscape type scene. The picture was painted with a greenish hue, and a big yellow colored moon was looking over a city. A tall tower could be seen in the distance of the painting. '...The Dark Hour...' He balled his hands into fists. 'I guess she does remember fragments of back then, but because she was reborn without her memories intact, she is unclear as to why she has those memories...?' Junpei then calmed down and sighed. A faint smile appeared on his face.

'...I'm glad to see you're still doing alright...Chidori...'

Junpei then proceeded to walk back to his college dorm, while holding Chidori's sketchbook tightly...up against his beating heart...

* * *

Well, how was it? To be honest, I felt awkward elaborating on certain scenes, more specifically the Ken x Naoto moment...I just didn't know what to say about that, or where I got the idea from ^_^;;

I enjoyed the Teddie/Kanji moment in the game, so I decided to add a different guy/guy pairing and tried to make it just as funny. The reason why I didn't include Shinjiro in this chapter is cause, well...do YOU believe that Shinjiro would participate in something like King's Game? Hahaha I didn't think so. He would probably say something along the lines of "I don't have time for this shit..." and leave. And since Koromaru lives with Shinjiro, I couldn't really add him in without Shinjiro, so...yeah.

As for the whole serious Chidori/Junpei moment at the end, apparently if you play your cards right, Chidori can actually come back to life and it's noted that she did during The Answer. That's why I added her in [alive]. I couldn't think of another "serious" moment anyways haha.

Well, I hope you liked this chapter, and please review! Next chapter is going to be another memory retrieval chapter, just a heads up! I thank everyone who is still reading and reviewing my story, thank you so much!


	10. Memories of Heartbreak

This chapter is such a downer, especially after my King's Game chapter! So much sadness, it was almost too overwhelming for me, haha. Thank you all for the positive reviews on my previous chapter, I'm glad everyone liked it! I hope this chapter meets your high standards, as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Gekkoukan High School rooftop, Midnight~

Shinjiro, Koromaru, and Aigis were already at the entrance to the Labyrinth of Memories when everyone else arrived.

"I see that you all had some fun this evening...?" Aigis asked. "I'm sorry that I was not able to join all of you...I wanted to make sure I got enough rest, in case of another battle."

"Awww, don't worry, Aigis." Ryoji said. "But...it would have been more fun if you were there." He winked.

"...?" Aigis looked confused.

"What the hell did you guys do, anyway?" Shinjiro asked.

"We played King's Game!" Teddie yelled.

Shinjiro flinched. "...King's Game...?"

Before Teddie could explain, Akihiko cut in.

"Can we...not talk about it...please...?" Akihiko cringed.

"Anyway, we should hurry...this place disappears after Midnight." Ryoji told everyone.

Aigis nodded. "I agree."

Aigis and Ryoji headed in. Almost everyone else headed in as well, but Junpei remained silent. Yukari looked back at him.

"Is...something wrong, Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"...Hmm? Oh, no...everything's fine." Junpei said.

Yukari chuckled. "What's the matter, did you want to dance with Yosuke-kun some more?"

Junpei glared at her. "...Shut up!" He ran inside.

Yukari sighed and went in as well.

~Labyrinth of Memories~

When Junpei and Yukari entered, they noticed that the place looked...different.

"Does something look odd to you?" Yukari asked Fuuka.

"Yes...everything looks...warped..." Fuuka explained.

"What's going on, Ryoji?" Akihiko asked.

Ryoji looked just as confused as everyone else. "I-I don't know...this is strange..."

"Well, if you don't know what the hell is going on, then who does?" Kanji yelled.

Ryoji was pondering something. "..."

Kanji looked angry. "Well?"

"That's enough, Kanji-kun." Naoto told him. "Let Ryoji-san think."

_'...Ryoji-kun...'_

"...!" Ryoji heard a voice in his head.

_'This place is different because one of our friends is in pain...and when they're in pain, I'm in pain as well...you need to help our friend get out of that pain...by fighting what is troubling him...' _the voice said.

Ryoji rubbed his head. "...Is someone here suffering from something?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Where is this coming from, Ryoji?" Souji asked.

"Nngh...I heard...Minako's voice..." Ryoji explained.

"What?" Akihiko yelled.

Ryoji continued. "She told me...that one of our friends is in pain..."

"Well, it can't be any of us, since she doesn't even know who we are..." Yosuke said.

"...Wait a minute...Junpei looked troubled before we came in here." Yukari told everyone.

Everyone looked at Junpei, who remained silent.

"Did something happen to you, Junpei-san?" Aigis asked.

He looked at everyone else. "I...ran into someone on my way from Club Escapade."

"...Who?" Ken asked.

"..." Junpei bit his lip.

"I think it would be faster if we find the door leading to Minako's memories." Ryoji said.

Aigis nodded. Everyone followed Ryoji from corridor to corridor, until they came across a lone door at the end. The door clearly read 'Memories of Heartbreak', followed by 'Junpei Iori'.

"Junpei has to be the one to open the door." Ryoji explained. "Judging by the way this place looks, it's obvious that Minako's memories aren't the only ones we're dealing with right now. Is everyone ready?"

"Wait." Souji said. Everyone looked at him.

"In case we have to go into battle, I say that we should only have four people battling at a time, in case something might happen like last time." Souji explained.

"I agree...it would be unwise for us to all battle at once, blindly attacking our enemy." Aigis nodded.

"Alright...but then, who's gonna be in charge?" Ken asked.

Ryoji looked at Shinjiro. "I say Shinjiro-san should be the leader. He does possess the power of the Wild Card now, after all."

"But...that means that Souji-kun could also be the leader." Yukari said, looking at Souji.

Souji scratched his head. "I don't mind filling the leadership role...but I think it would mean more if Shinjiro-san be the leader."

Shinjiro stared at Ryoji. "...Tch." He nodded. Shinjiro then looked in Akihiko's direction. He didn't say anything, but Shinjiro could sense the anger within his best friend.

"Alright...now that that's settled..." Ryoji began. "Junpei, open the door."

Junpei nodded and grabbed the door knob. He hesitantly opened the door, revealing memories that he wished had stayed buried...

...

**Memories of Heartbreak...**

_The Dark Hour had begun, and Minako was sleeping in her room. Just then, an alarm sounded in Minako's head._

_"I'm sorry to wake you up..." Fuuka's voice said. "Um, I'm not sure how to say this, but...you need to go to the fourth floor...and please hurry!"_

_Minako quickly got out of bed and ran to the fourth floor. When she entered the command room, everyone else was already there._

_"What happened?" Minako asked._

_"What's going on?" Yukari asked as well._

_"Yamagishi sensed something!" Mitsuru yelled. "...Other Persona-users. They're outside Tartarus!"_

_Ken got angry. "Other Persona-users...? Don't tell me it's..."_

_"...Strega. They're still alive. " Akihiko said._

_"First the Dark Hour won't go away, and now Strega is back? What's happening?" Yukari yelled._

_Akihiko turned his attention back to Fuuka. "How many are there, Yamagishi?"_

_"There's only one, but..." Fuuka looked confused. "I thought she was in the hospital..."_

_Junpei looked surprised. "Huh?"_

_"No...she's...she's inside...*shriek*" Fuuka held her head in pain._

_"What's wrong?" Mitsuru yelled._

_"...Long time no see." A familiar voice said._

_"Chidori?" Junpei said, shocked._

_Mitsuru looked confused. "She's speaking through Yamagishi?"_

_"I can't stand the site of you all anymore...so, I've decided to do something about it. Come to me..." Chidori beckoned._

_Fuuka then regained control of her mind and stood up. _

_"You alright, Fuuka?" Minako yelled._

_"Nngh...yeah...I'm fine." Fuuka said._

_"What the heck...? I thought she was...Junpei, do you know what's going on?" Yukari yelled, looking at Junpei._

_"..." Junpei turned away from Yukari._

_"Junpei!" Yukari yelled._

_"No, dammit! I have no idea!" Junpei yelled, glaring at Yukari. "Just leave me the hell alone!" He ran out of the command room._

_Yukari's eyes widened. "J-Junpei? Junpei, wait!"_

_"This is most likely a trap. But, we're dealing with Strega, so we must pursue this." Mitsuru explained. "...And if we confront them, we may gain some insight into our current situation."_

_"Please be careful!" Fuuka told everyone. "I only sensed one person, but the other two may be nearby."_

_Mitsuru nodded. She looked at Minako. "We have no idea what they're planning, so choose your allies wisely. We'll go after Iori once you've made your decision."_

_Minako began thinking. "I choose...Aigis, Akihiko-senpai, and Ken-kun."_

_"Okay, let's go." Fuuka said._

_..._

_~Entrance to Tartarus, Dark Hour~_

_Chidori was standing at the front of the entrance. Junpei stood opposite her._

_"Chidori! What's going on? Why are you doing this?" Junpei yelled._

_"..." Chidori looked solemn._

_"It doesn't make any sense!" Junpei stared at her. "I mean, I know I'm not that smart, and I've done a lot of stupid stuff...but, we shouldn't be fighting like this!"_

_As he began to walk toward Chidori..._

_"Junpei-kun! Look out!" Fuuka yelled._

_"...!" Junpei barely dodged the axe that Chidori threw in his direction._

_"Whoa...!" Junpei looked surprised._

_"...Tch." Chidori wasn't pleased._

_"Chidori...! Why?" Junpei looked hurt._

_By then, everyone else had caught up with him._

_"Get back, Junpei! It's useless trying to reason with her!" Akihiko yelled._

_Fuuka readied her Evoker. "No! It's too dangerous! ...I know how you feel, Junpei-kun! But please, just back up!"_

_Chidori readied her Evoker as well._

_Mitsuru and Yukari pulled Junpei back, while Minako, Akihiko, Aigis, and Ken got in front to fight Chidori._

_..._

_..._

_**Memories of Heartbreak...at a standstill...**_

"..." Everyone regained their composure.

"Why did the memory just stop?" Yukari asked. "There's more to the memory than just that!"

"My guess is..." Ryoji looked at Junpei.

Junpei's expression saddened. "...We have to fight Chidori...is that it?"

Yukari and Fuuka gasped.

All of a sudden, Chidori appeared before them. She was wearing the same clothes she wore on that day.

Akihiko looked at Shinjiro. "Shinji, hurry up and pick your team so we can fight!"

Shinjiro looked at him. "..."

Junpei stood in front of Shinjiro. "Senpai, please...let me fight her, too!"

"Junpei...are you sure that's a good idea...?" Yukari asked.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Junpei yelled.

Souji cut in. "What Yukari-san means is...won't it cause you more pain if you fight her...?"

Junpei's eyes widened. "No, dammit!" He turned to look at Shinjiro again. "...Your call, Senpai..."

Shinjiro had a pained look on his face. 'I'm not cut out for this leader role...' "...Alright...Junpei, Aigis, and..." He looked at Akihiko. Akihiko stared back at him, before turning away, averting his gaze. Shinjiro sighed. "...Ken."

Ryoji nodded. "Everyone else should stay out of their way...we don't want anyone else to get hurt."

Shinjiro took his team and stood in front of Chidori.

"I don't belong here...I...I've always known that!" Chidori yelled.

"Chidori..." Junpei's face saddened, but he looked more than determined. "Senpai, let's finish this!"

Shinjiro grunted slightly. He had his Celtic Axe firmly in hand.

"Trismegistus, Vorpal Blade!" Junpei yelled. He summoned Trismegistus, who unleashed a barrage of slashes upon Chidori.

"Ahhh!" Chidori faltered, but quickly recovered. Chidori then swung her axe at Junpei.

"Gah!" Junpei's arm got slightly cut, causing blood to ooze from the wound.

"Junpei-kun, you have to calm down!" Fuuka yelled.

"She's right, Junpei-san!" Rise yelled as well.

Junpei looked angry. "I know what I'm doing!" He readied his Evoker again.

But before he could pull the trigger, Shinjiro stopped him.

"Whaaa?" Junpei looked at Shinjiro.

"Don't be so reckless!" Shinjiro yelled at him. "This Chidori isn't the one you knew back then, she's just a figment of your memories!"

Junpei looked at Shinjiro, then back at Chidori. She was staring blankly at everyone.

"Aigis!" Shinjiro yelled.

Aigis nodded. "Initiating Orgia Mode." She began glowing. "Athena...God Hand!" Aigis yelled. Athena appeared and summoned a huge hand that smashed itself into Chidori.

"Irk..." Chidori grabbed hold of her Evoker. "Medea...come...!" She shot herself, and her Persona, Medea appeared. "Agidyne..." Medea unleased a burst of fire upon Junpei.

"Why is Chidori only attacking Junpei?" Ken yelled.

"...!" Fuuka finished analyzing Chidori. "Listen, everyone! Chidori repels Agi, Hama, and Mudo skills! I'm also sensing that she is only going to attack Junpei-kun, so be careful!"

"Tch." Shinjiro ran at Chidori, and struck her with his axe. She dodged the attack. Chidori then ran towards Junpei.

"Medea!" Medea emerged once again and attacked Junpei. Junpei fell backwards.

"Junpei-san!" Aigis yelled.

"Someone heal Junpei-san!" Rise yelled.

"I'm on it!" Ken readied his Evoker. "Kala-Nemi, Diarahan!" Kala-Nemi spun around, and healed Junpei to full health.

"Takaya was right...you are a nuisance!" Chidori yelled. She summoned Medea again. "Ragnorak!"

Medea unleashed a huge pillar of fire on Junpei. Junpei managed to dodge it.

"Chidori, please, stop this!" Junpei yelled.

"..." Shinjiro walked up to Junpei and punched him.

"What the hell was that for?" Junpei yelled, rubbing his jaw.

"You're letting your emotions get the best of you..." Shinjiro said calmly.

Junpei got angry. "You'd probably act the same way if Minako-tan was the one we were fighting, instead of Chidori!"

Shinjiro lost his nerve. He grabbed Junpei by his shirt collar.

"Aragaki-senpai, please stay focused!" Fuuka pleaded.

Shinjiro bit his lip and released Junpei from his grip.

"*gasp* Look out!" Rise screamed.

They all looked at Chidori then. She began glowing.

"Why? Why won't you leave me alone?" Chidori yelled. "I just don't get it, Junpei..." She then summoned Medea. "Medea! Mamudoon!"

Medea unleashed a huge circle of dark energy around the team.

"Gah!" Aigis collapsed.

"No way..." Ken collapsed.

Shinjiro and Junpei managed to dodge the attack.

"Damn it..." Shinjiro muttered. He began to run towards Chidori, but Junpei held him back.

"Wait, Senpai! Don't injure her!" Junpei yelled.

"...Injure _what_? She's not really there, dumbass!" Shinjiro yelled back.

Junpei cringed. "I know that, but..."

Shinjiro looked at him. "Listen to me, get it through your thick skull. She's just a figment of your memories!"

Junpei stared at Shinjiro, then back at Chidori. "I...I can't..." Junpei closed his eyes, tears beginning to form.

Shinjiro sighed. "That person you ran into...it was Chidori, wasn't it...?"

"...!" Junpei remembered.

"What more proof do you need that the Chidori before you isn't the real one?" Shinjiro asked.

"...You're right, Senpai..." Junpei said, facing Chidori. "Let's get this over with..." Junpei readied his Evoker. "Trismegistus!" Trismegistus appeared, and held Medea in his arms, in an attempt to hold her back.

"NO! MEDEA!" Chidori screamed.

Junpei looked at Shinjiro. "Now, Senpai!"

Shinjiro nodded. "Orpheus, God Hand!" Shinjiro ran towards Chidori, and struck her with his axe. Orpheus quickly followed suit, punching Medea. Both Chidori and Medea disappeared.

"Is...is it over...?" Junpei asked.

Shinjiro looked around the room. Then, all of a sudden, the memories continued. Junpei and Shinjiro stared blankly into space, as the memories of that day flooded into them.

...

**Memories of Heartbreak...resuming...**

_"Chidori!" Junpei ran up to the collapsed Chidori._

_"I told you...don't touch me..." Chidori said, her face sullen._

_"Chidori, please...tell me why you're doing this..." Junpei said._

_Chidori looked up at Junpei. "What I fear most isn't death. What I fear most is...attachment. Once I become attached to something, I fear that I will lose it. That's why we only live for the moment...but you...you brought me pain...pain that I didn't want...pain that I never asked for..."_

_"Huh...?" Junpei looked confused._

_Chidori continued. "When I'm with you, Junpei, I fear everything...I fear loss...I fear death...I fear that my time with you will end...that's why I..."_

_"Chidori...?" Junpei began._

_Fuuka then stepped forward. "I'm sensing..."_

_Everyone looked at her. _

_"What? What is it?" Mitsuru asked her._

_Just then, Takaya and Jin emerged from Tartarus._

_"So then..." Ken began._

_Akihiko stepped forward. "There you are, you sons of bitches!"_

_Takaya sighed. "Chidori...I see that it is too late. You've been poisoned by them..."_

_"What the hell does that mean, you friggin' ghost?" Junpei yelled angrily._

_Takaya laughed. "I am no ghost...fate permitted me to live, even though I wasn't attached to life...you might say I was...chosen."_

_"You bastard..." Junpei yelled. "I've made up my mind! I won't let you do this to her anymore! I'll protect Chidori with my life!" He kneeled beside Chidori. "Chidori, don't stay with them! Come with me!"_

_Takaya drew his revolver, and began laughing maniacally. He aimed it at Junpei._

_"Look out, Junpei!" Akihiko yelled._

_As Junpei stood up, Takaya pulled the trigger._

_"Huh...?" Junpei looked down at his chest, blood spreading across his clothes. He fell to the ground...lifeless._

_Chidori looked at his body. "...Jun...pei..." She nudged his body back and forth._

_"Noooooooo!" Fuuka screamed._

_..._

_..._

_Chidori began glowing a golden color, with Medea floating above her. Then, Junpei regained consciousness._

_"...Ah!" Junpei opened his eyes._

_"Junpei-kun!" Fuuka looked surprised._

_"Junpei!" Yukari yelled._

_Junpei slowly sat up. "I..."_

_"It worked..." Chidori smiled. _

_"She revived him...I can't believe it." Akihiko said, amazed._

_"Her power is the opposite of mine. Her persona doesn't sense life; it emits life...but in order to revive a person, she must..." Fuuka's expression saddened._

_The glow around Chidori faded away, and Chidori collapsed on Junpei's lap. Junpei held out his arms to catch her. _

_"Chidori!" Junpei yelled._

_Chidori smiled. "I can hear the life pulsing through you..." She chuckled._

_"Huh...?" Junpei looked at her. _

_"Now I will live inside you, and we'll be together...forever." Chidori said, still smiling._

_"Wh-What're saying...? Chidori...Chidori!" Junpei yelled._

_She looked up at him. "I'll protect you, Junpei...always..."_

_Junpei held her close to himself. "I-I'll protect you, too! Please...don't go!"_

_Chidori reached up to touch Junpei's cheek. "It feels so nice to be with you..."_

_"Chidori...!" Junpei screamed, tears forming in his eyes._

_Chidori's eyes slowly began to close. "Thank you...Jun...pei...I love you..." And then, her hand fell by her side, and her body became heavy in Junpei's arms._

_"...?" Junpei began shaking Chidori's body. "This can't be happening...Chidori...Chidori, answer me..." There was no response. "Chidori...! Aaaaaaaah!"_

_Takaya and Jin stepped forward._

_"What a pity...such a meaningless death..." Takaya said._

_"...!" Minako got angry. "How dare you!"_

_Akihiko held Minako back from reaching for her Evoker._

_Junpei looked up, with hatred in his eyes. "Meaningless...?"_

_"Hm...?" Takaya looked at Junpei. Junpei turned to face Takaya and Jin, and readied his Evoker. _

_"...Aaaaagh!" He pointed his Evoker towards his temple. "Persona!" And he pulled the trigger. Trismegistus appeared, with Medea right in front of him._

_"Medea...?" Jin stared in confusion._

_The resolution in Junpei's heart has awakened a new Persona..._

_Hermes has given rise to Trismegistus!_

_"Aaaaaarrrggghhh!" Junpei yelled. Trismegistus unleashed a burst of fire aimed at Takaya, but Jin shielded Takaya from the flames. Jin got blown backward from the impact._

_"*gasp* *gasp* I refuse...to...ugh..." Junpei had a hard time breathing. He nearly collapsed. Everyone ran up to him._

_"Junpei!" Akihiko yelled._

_Takaya looked at them. "My...that was quite a spectacle. Now, allow me to reciprocate." Takaya drew his revolver again, but this time, Jin grabbed his arm._

_"Takaya, don't!" Jin yelled._

_"...Wh-What is the meaning of this? Release me!" Takaya grunted._

_"Don't forget about your mission! This is just a waste of energy!" Jin pleaded._

_Takaya stared at Jin, then back at the members of SEES._

_"I have something much greater to accomplish...and since you have no means of destroying the Dark Hour...I will let you be...for now." Takaya put away his revolver. "...But know that the day I shall finish this is soon approaching." _

_Then, Jin pulled out a grenade, took off the safety, and threw it at the members of SEES. When the smoke dispersed, Strega was gone._

_"Wait!" Junpei yelled, struggling to get up._

_"Stop!" Akihiko yelled back, putting his hand on Junpei's shoulder._

_"Let go! I...!" Junpei began._

_Akihiko looked at him angrily. "She entrusted you with this life!"_

_"...!" Junpei looked down._

_"Don't waste it..." Akihiko frowned._

_"..." Junpei turned around to look at Chidori's body. "Chidori..." Junpei wiped the tears in his eyes. "Chidori, I...I...this is so hard...but...it's not just my life anymore..."_

_Yukari frowned. "Junpei..."_

_..._

_..._

**Memories of Heartbreak End...**

Junpei and Shinjiro regained control of their minds once again.

"..." Shinjiro looked at Junpei, who was trying his best not to cry.

Junpei wiped his eyes. "I'm alright now, Senpai..."

"Junpei!" The others ran up to him.

"Are you alright, man?" Yosuke yelled.

"Of course he's alright...this is Junpei we're talking about..." Akihiko said, smiling.

Yukiko and Chie began crying. "That was so...sad..." Chie said.

Junpei looked at them. "Like I said...I'm alright now. There's nothing to worry about..."

Ryoji stepped forward. "Well, this wasn't the memory we were supposed to accomplish...but I say that's enough for today..."

"I agree..." Ken said. "We should resume tomorrow."

As everyone began to leave, Junpei just stared off into space. Shinjiro was about to leave as well, when Junpei stopped him.

"Hey, Senpai...what would you have done...if it was Minako-tan instead of Chidori...?" Junpei asked.

Shinjiro just stared at Junpei.

Junpei smiled. "You don't have to tell me...I know that you don't like to show emotions around others..."

Shinjiro had a pained look on his face. "...C'mon, let's get outta here..."

Junpei nodded. "I'm glad that you're our leader, Senpai..." And with that, he walked out of the Labyrinth.

Shinjiro was following close behind. 'If it had been Minako instead of Chidori, huh...?' Shinjiro scratched his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. '...I probably would have protected Minako with my life, as well...assuming that I was never in the hospital beforehand, of course...' Shinjiro smiled, and looked up. The moon illuminated the whole sky.

"Hey, hurry up, Shinjiro-senpai!" Junpei yelled.

Shinjiro looked back at Junpei. '...When did I become such a softy...?' Shinjiro sighed. 'It must be...because of Minako...'

* * *

Well, how did I do? I tried to improve my way of describing battles as best as I could. Did I do well? Anything I need to improve on more?

My story is revolving more around Junpei and Chidori's relationship right now, but the next memory retrieval chapter will be around Minako's memories again. I just wanted to add in JunpeixChidori cause that part was so sad for me to play through...damn, that Takaya...he always has to make in-game characters suffer!

Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't include that one portion where Chidori is speaking to Junpei in his dreams (?), I didn't add that cause since this is based off of Minako's memories, I don't think she would know about that, since that was just between Chidori and Junpei, so...yeah. ^_^

I hope you liked it! And please review!


	11. Kirijo and Nanjo

Whew, finally! I finally managed to create a chapter for Mitsuru to appear in. I had to pull a few strings to make it happen. I have also added a few OCs as well. I love creating OCs, cause you can give them any personality you want, and it doesn't matter!

Well, I better not keep stalling. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters.

* * *

~College Dorms, Morning~

Junpei got up from his bed and got dressed. He proceeded to open the door as quietly as possible.

"...Where're you goin', Junpei?" His roommate asked, still half asleep.

Junpei turned around. "Oh, nowhere, Hayate...just to Paulownia Mall to uh...meet someone!"

Hayate had a tired look on his face, but nodded. "Tell me if she looks hot!"

That caught Junpei off guard. 'How the hell did he...?' Junpei ran out of his room and down the hall. As he was about to leave the building, he ran into Yukari and Fuuka.

"H-Hey, Junpei!" Yukari yelled. "Where are you running off to in such a hurry?"

Junpei looked back at her. "Sorry, I can't talk right now!" And he ran off.

Yukari sighed. "Doesn't he know that we might have to battle again tonight? He should get some rest!"

Fuuka tried calming her down. "It's alright, let him be...but..."

"...?" Yukari turned to face Fuuka.

Fuuka's face saddened. "...Shouldn't we tell him that..."

"Tell him what...?" Yukari began pondering something over. "...Oh...Crap!"

Yukari and Fuuka began running after Junpei.

~Paulownia Mall, Morning~

Junpei ran as fast as he could to Paulownia Mall. He stopped in front of the fountain and sat down on a bench.

"*pant pant*" Junpei tried catching his breath. 'Maybe I shouldn't have sprinted over here...I should have joined the Track team when I was at Gekkoukan...'

He began looking around. "Huh...?" The person he was looking for was nowhere in sight. "Wh-Where's Chidori...?" He looked inside Club Escapade, Mandragora, even the Police Department. There was no sign of Chidori anywhere. "She did say she liked coming here sometimes...maybe she decided not to today...?"

"Junpei!" A voice yelled.

Junpei turned his attention to the voice, and saw Yukari and Fuuka running towards him.

"Whoa, why're you guys running so fast?" Junpei asked.

Yukari looked angry. "We were trying to catch up with you, idiot!"

"...?" Junpei looked confused.

"Umm...you're here to see...Chidori-san, right?" Fuuka asked uneasily.

"...!" Junpei stood up. "H-How did you know?"

Yukari and Fuuka looked at each other.

"Fuuka can hear and see whatever we talk about during our battles...she overheard Shinjiro-senpai telling you that the person you saw that night was Chidori..." Yukari informed him.

Junpei looked shocked, but then looked down at his feet. "So...? Why tell me this?"

"Well...I forgot to tell you something regarding Chidori-san, Junpei-kun..." Fuuka said.

Junpei looked at her.

Fuuka continued. "Well, I informed Mitsuru-senpai about the battle, and she said that she was going to speak with Chidori-san about something..." She frowned. "...Chidori-san is probably at with the Kirijo Group right now..."

"What?" Junpei looked furious. "What are they going to do to her?" He grabbed Fuuka's shoulder violently. Fuuka cringed.

"Junpei!" Yukari yelled, grabbing his arm. "Stop it, you know it's not Fuuka's fault!"

Junpei looked at Yukari. "Well, what am I supposed to do, then?"

Yukari sighed. "Why don't we just go over to the Kirijo Group's headquarters and talk to Mitsuru-senpai? She might be able to tell us something."

Junpei and Fuuka nodded, and they went to Port Island Station to travel to the Kirijo Group's headquarters...

~Kirijo Group, Afternoon~

Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka walked inside the huge building. The lobby alone was enormous, easily larger than an average home. A receptionist table was against the wall. They went up to speak with the receptionist.

"Hello, may I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Hello, we were wondering if we could talk to Mitsuru Kirijo?" Yukari told the woman.

The receptionist looked at her funny. "The president is currently in a meeting, and is thus too busy for needless chatter. Now, could be so kind as to leave...?"

Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei looked shocked.

"Umm, we're friends of hers..." Junpei told her.

The receptionist wasn't even listening anymore, and instead picked up a telephone. "We have troublesome guests in lobby #1, please send security..."

Yukari gasped. Junpei finally broke down and grabbed the phone away from the receptionist. "Look, Lady! I want to see Mitsuru-san right now! And don't even think about throwing me out!"

"Junpei-kun!" Fuuka looked frightened. As she looked around, more and more security members were surrounding them.

"Eeeeeek!" Yukari screamed.

"...What in the world is all that noise?" A voice asked.

Everyone turned their heads to see Mitsuru Kirijo walking slowly down the grand staircase.

"Madame Kirijo, these delinquents were causing trouble in the lobby. They claim to be your friends." The receptionist said, grabbing her phone away from Junpei.

Mitsuru looked at her. "They are indeed my friends. Do you have a problem with that?"

The receptionist frowned, but bowed slightly. "In that case, I am terribly sorry for the misunderstanding. Please forgive me, Madame Kirijo..."

Mitsuru just walked past her, and waved her hand at the guards. "You are dismissed. It was a false alarm." And with that, the security team left.

"Now...as for you three..." Mitsuru looked in their direction, then stopped at Junpei. "I know why you're here...it's about Chidori, am I correct?"

Junpei's eyes widened, but nodded. "So she is here? Why are you questioning her?"

Mitsuru closed her eyes. "We had to talk to her about what she knew...we suspect that her memories are returning."

"What?" Yukari asked, astonished.

"So what's so bad about that?" Junpei yelled.

"Let's talk about this matter in my office...I currently have a guest waiting for me in my room, anyway." Mitsuru told them. They nodded and followed her up to her office.

~President's Office~

Mitsuru was about to open the door to her office. "I strongly advise that you be on your best behavior..."

"We know, already! Just let us in!" Junpei said strongly.

Mitsuru nodded and opened the door. When they entered, a young man that looked like he was in his late 20's was sitting on a large sofa drinking some tea. He was wearing a biking suit with a large #1 on the back. Next to him was a motorcycle helmet.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Nanjo...I apologize for the interruption..." Mitsuru said.

The man looked up for a short second, then closed his eyes and continued drinking his tea. "No worries, I don't mind."

Mitsuru nodded. "Takeba, Iori, Yamagishi." She looked at them. "This is the current Head of the Nanjo Group, Mr. Kei Nanjo."

Yukari and Fuuka politely bowed. Junpei nodded. They then made their way into the room and proceeded to sit down on the sofa opposite the one Kei was sitting on.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Kirijo, but I would like to continue talking about a certain matter when you don't have guests present..." Kei told her.

"I understand- -" Mitsuru began, but Junpei cut in.

"Mitsuru-san, where's Chidori?" He yelled.

Mitsuru looked surprised, but she managed to maintain her calm disposition. "Iori, we will talk about that after I have a word with Mr. Nanjo..." And with that, Mitsuru opened the door and left, Kei following close behind her.

"Junpei, what's gotten into you?" Yukari yelled. "You can't act like that when Mitsuru-senpai has guests! What if you damage her reputation?"

Junpei frowned. "I know, dammit! It's just that..." He bit his lip. "...I thought that me and Chidori could finally start all over. Then I find out that Mitsuru took her in for questioning, and I don't know...I panicked...!"

Fuuka looked at him. "I understand how you feel, Junpei-kun...but we should be on our best behavior until Mitsuru-senpai returns..."

Yukari nodded. "I agree." She looked at Junpei. "Don't worry, Junpei, we'll get to the bottom of this..."

Junpei looked at her for a moment, then nodded.

...

A few hours passed.

...

Mitsuru finally returned back to her office, where Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei were sitting on the sofa.

"I see that you haven't caused any commotion while I was away." Mitsuru smirked. "Now, what is it you would like to talk about?"

Junpei stood up. "Where's Chidori, Mitsuru-san?"

Mitsuru's face became serious. "We have her here for questioning. It turns out that she might be regaining all her memories, as a result of everyone currently retrieving Arisato's memories."

The three of them gasped.

Mitsuru continued. "We are questioning her further, as we speak. It may take some time, so don't expect her to be leaving for the next few weeks."

Junpei looked at her. "Is that fair? To Chidori, I mean..." He said in a serious tone. "What good would it do to keep her here for that long?"

"I know how you feel, Iori, and don't worry...she is being cared for, and is currently staying in one of the Kirijo Group's finest rooms. She should be safe here." Mitsuru explained. However, Junpei was still angry.

"..." Yukari could feel the tense atmosphere in the room. She felt the need to change the subject. "Oh! Senpai, who was that man you were talking to earlier?"

"Hmm...?" Mitsuru turned to look at Yukari. "Oh, Mr. Nanjo came here to speak with me about the futures of Kirijo and Nanjo. We were once part of the Nanjo Group, but we split apart sometime ago...we were thinking whether we should combine the Groups once more so that the future of both the Kirijo and the Nanjo Groups will be secure."

Yukari looked shocked. "Wow...that's a big decision for you, isn't it, Senpai?"

Mitsuru smirked. "Well, it keeps me busy...I have a lot to think about, such as how both groups benefit from the decision...we wouldn't want to join together again just to cause more harm than good to the groups..."

"That's amazing, Mitsuru-senpai..." Fuuka said, smiling.

"You should take some days off, though...you wouldn't want to become a workaholic or something." Yukari chuckled. "Maybe you can help us with this Memory Retrieval mission. We can use all the help we can get, you know!"

Mitsuru frowned. "I'm so busy as it is, lately all the free time I'm given is spent filling out paper work. I'm sorry, but I probably won't be able to help you in regards to battling..."

"Oh, no that's fine!" Yukari said. "That was just a suggestion."

"Junpei-kun...you've been quiet for a long time...is something wrong?" Fuuka asked Junpei.

Junpei looked at her. "...I'm fine. Sorry, but I'm gonna go." He left the office.

Once again, Yukari sighed. "We'll be leaving too, then. See ya, Senpai!" Yukari ran out the office as well.

Fuuka bowed politely to Mitsuru and left right behind Yukari. Mitsuru smirked.

'...I wish I could be of more use to them...' Mitsuru began thinking, then picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"...Yes, Ms. Kirijo...?"

"I'm sorry to bother you after you just left...but would you mind helping me with something?"

...

Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka were walking down hall after hall. They seemed to have gotten lost.

"Ugh, where the hell are the stairs?" Junpei yelled.

"How should I know?" Yukari yelled back.

"Weren't you paying attention?"

"No, I wasn't! I was too scared of the security team almost throwing us out!"

While Yukari and Junpei were yelling at each other, Fuuka looked at the rooms they were passing. One of them in which caught her eye, as she looked through the small window on the door.

"Umm...guys...?" Fuuka called out to them.

"WHAT?" They both yelled.

Fuuka flinched. "You should come take a look at this..."

Yukari and Junpei looked inside the window Fuuka was standing next to. Junpei's eyes shot wide open. Chidori was sitting in a chair, drawing in her sketchbook. A middle-aged man was questioning her (well, _yelling_ at her would be more accurate). They just watched quietly as Chidori continued being questioned.

"...Junpei, we should go..." Yukari said. "This isn't right. What if we get caught eavesdropping?"

Junpei remained silent.

Fuuka looked at him. "She's right, Junpei..." They managed to pull Junpei away from the window. They continued looking for the stairs.

"Argh, I've had it...where's a map?" Yukari began searching everywhere for a map, but with little success.

"Why the hell would they have a map of this building? Most of the people who come here are workers!" Junpei yelled.

"Umm..." Fuuka looked sad.

"...Are you lost...?" A voice asked from behind.

"Aaaah!" Yukari and Junpei jumped. They turned around to see Kei Nanjo looking at them.

"Oh...! Uh...you see...funny story..." Yukari smiled awkwardly.

"The stairs are down this hall...just make a left." Kei pointed down the hall.

*sweatdrop* "Thanks..." Yukari and Junpei frowned.

Fuuka looked at Kei. "Are you here to talk with Mitsuru-senpai again, Nanjo-san?"

Kei looked at her. "No, I came here to help you three..."

The three of them looked confused.

"Here's my number..." He handed it to Yukari. "Please, don't hesitate to call me if you wish to find any information regarding _certain_ things..."

"Ummm..." Yukari was still confused.

Kei continued. "I would like to consider myself a very intelligent man, and an expert at gathering information. If you have any questions, please contact me."

"...Oh, but..." Fuuka frowned.

"And don't worry...Ms. Kirijo told me about your situation." Kei told them.

"Wh-Wait, so does that mean that you know about Personas?" Junpei asked.

Kei nodded. "As a matter of fact, like you, I too have a Persona."

The three of them gasped.

"I awoke mine when I was in high school...and like you three, I have helped my friends and colleagues through tough times when it mattered." Kei told them.

"R-Really? What tough times are you talking about?" Yukari asked.

Kei looked at her. "Another time, perhaps...but for now..." He began walking down the hall. "I should drive you back to your college dorms...shall we...?"

Yukari, Junpei, and Fuuka reluctantly nodded and ran to catch up with Kei. They then walked out of the building and got into a really expensive looking limmo.

The ride back to the dorms was a long awkward experience. Kei was sitting silently with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. Junpei couldn't sit still. Yukari and Fuuka were staring at each other, then at Junpei, then at Kei, hoping that one of them would say something.

"Umm...oh, hey, Yukari..." Fuuka said quietly.

"Hmmm?" Yukari looked at Fuuka.

"I heard from Junpei-kun's roommate, Hayate-kun, that one of his friends was going to ask you on a date..." Fuuka said as quietly as she could.

"..." Yukari grimaced. "None of his friends are my type...I like guys that know what they're doing, and are calm and collected, yet silent when they need to be."

'In other words, someone who's easy for you to boss around...' Junpei frowned. 'I feel sorry for the poor guy who ends up marrying her...'

Fuuka faintly smiled. "Yes, well...he also told me that he heard a rumor that you were becoming desperate to find yourself a boyfriend, and that's why his friend was going to ask you out..."

Yukari looked shocked. "What? Where did he hear this from? I'm NOT _desperate_ to find a boyfriend!" She yelled. "I hate rumors...they just serve to get in the way of my private life."

Junpei sneered. "Besides, it's not like _rumors can become reality_ or something!"

Yukari then glared at Junpei.

Kei opened his eyes slightly at Junpei's comment.

"What's that supposed to mean, Stupei?" Yukari asked demonically.

Junpei's eyes widened. "Oh, well...uh..."

Yukari gave Junpei a death glare. "You don't think he'll ask me out, is that it?"

"What? Oh, nononono!" Junpei frantically spit out. Yukari hit him on the head.

"Owww!" Junpei winced from the pain.

"I'll have you know, I'm quite attractive in the eyes of most of the college men. I don't need to believe rumors like those just so I can get a date." Yukari shrugged Junpei off, and sat with her arms and legs crossed, not even looking in Junpei's direction.

Junpei closed his eyes in pain, rubbing his head. '...Someone's full of herself...'

Fuuka sighed, but smiled at the fact that Junpei was back to his normal self. Kei looked at the three of them, before closing his eyes once more.

'...Rumors can't become reality, huh...?'

...

~College Dorms, Front Entrance, Evening~

Kei had the limmo stop at the front of the college dorms. The driver opened the passenger door and allowed Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka to get out.

"Thank you so much for the ride back, and your number." Yukari smiled. "We'll call you if we need information on anything."

Kei looked at her and nodded. He then closed the window to his limmo and the car drove off.

"...Crap!" Yukari yelled. "There's only a few hours before our next mission!"

"Not to mention we have a midterm test coming up in a few days...and we still haven't studied..." Fuuka looked like she was about to cry.

"Helping Minako-tan is more important than tests!" Junpei smiled. "C'mon, we should rest up for the next ordeal!" He ran into the dorms.

Yukari and Fuuka sighed.

"That's easy him to say...he _never_ studies..." Yukari grimaced.

"Come on, Yukari-chan...we should rest." Fuuka said.

Yukari nodded. "...You're right."

And they both walked into the dorm, getting ready for the next ordeal that possibly awaited them...

* * *

Well, I did my best, but I'm still struggling to write Mitsuru's personality (I must hate those sophisticated elegant talker types). If there's anything I can improve on, by all means please tell me.

As for Kei Nanjo...yeah, I just felt the need to add him in. I'm not sure if he became the head of the Nanjo Group or not, cause I don't think it said in any of the games that he did (all it said was he was still trying to become #1 man in Japan, and came back to Japan after studying abroad in England...). And if you make the effort to turn on the TV in the lounge and watch "Who's Who?" on certain days, Kei is referred to as "a man in his 20's who is proud of is intelligence." So, seeing as how about two-three years have passed from P3 to P4 and my story's time setting, I decided to make like he became the head of the Nanjo Group after all. And once again, if I made a mistake on the facts, please don't hesitate to tell me...believe it or not, I've NEVER played Persona 1 or 2 (Innocent Sin or Eternal Punishment) -_-;;. I've only watched youtube videos of Persona 2.

Wow...I sure made one of my OCs really...aggressive, didn't I? Haha. Here are the OCs I created:

Hayate Yamamoto - Junpei's roommate/friend; also friends with Fuuka. He is obsessed with girls, and gets consistently good grades in his classes. A bit of a show-off. (I _might _put him in later chapters, if the setting is at the college or possibly at Paulownia Mall. He will act as one of those random characters that pop up every now and then if I decide to add him in, if Junpei/Fuuka/Yukari have nothing to do during the day and want to hang out, kind of like most of the s. links in the game)

Receptionist Lady - short-tempered, rude, and very bad at listening to other people. She only acts nicely towards Mitsuru. (will only appear during any chapter where the setting is at the Kirijo Group headquarters...which probably won't be often...)

Well, I hoped you liked this chapter! Next chapter is once again a memory retrieval chapter. Because the first memory I plan on adding in is fairly short, I might add two or three more memory retrievals in one chapter, depending on the memories. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, I'd love to hear more on this chapter as well!


	12. Our First and Second Encounters

Not very much to say, so I will get straight to the point. This chapter is yet another Memory Retrieval mission, and I decided to add two memories into one chapter, since the first memory was kind of short. And I apologize ahead of time if Teddie seems...ugh. I now realize that coming up with intentionally lame puns isn't as easy as I thought. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~Labyrinth of Memories~

The whole team entered the Labyrinth a while ago, with Ryoji leading them from corridor to corridor.

"What memories are we going to see, this time?" Yukari asked.

Ryoji looked at her. "I honestly don't know...this place can be very unpredictable."

Yukari frowned. 'Like that was a lot of help...we already knew that!'

Ryoji kept walking, and halted at a door. The door read "Memories of Our First Encounter", followed by the name "Shinjiro Aragaki".

"Hahaha, I see that this is the door leading to Minako's first encounter with Shinjiro-san." Ryoji smiled.

Yukari smiled nostalgically. "That was back when we went to visit Akihiko-senpai in the hospital..."

Junpei smiled as well. "I can't believe it's been so long since then. We were still newbies, right, Yuka-tan?"

Shinjiro stepped forward. "...Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

Ryoji nodded. "If you'll be so kind...?" He pointed towards the door. Shinjiro grunted slightly and turned the doorknob. And yet again, another wave of memories began to engulf the team...

**Memories of Our First Encounter...**

_Minako was sitting at her desk, when the school bell rang. As she was getting up to leave, Junpei walked up to her._

_"FYI, Akihiko-san's at the hospital getting a check-up. He called me earlier, and asked me to bring him something. Yup, he knows who to count on." Junpei said proudly._

_Minako couldn't help but chuckle. Yukari overheard the conversation, and walked over to them._

_"He only asked you cuz cause you don't have anything else to do after school." Yukari told him. _

_"H-Hey, I resent that." Junpei stuttered._

_Yukari giggled. "I'm just kidding. So, what'd he want you to bring?"_

_"The class roster for 2-E." Junpei said._

_"What's he want that for?" Yukari wondered. "...Well, I don't have practice today, so I'll go with you. You're coming too, right?" Yukari asked Minako._

_"Definitely!" Minako smiled._

_"Cool." Yukari said._

_Junpei sighed. "W-Wait a minute..."_

_Yukari looked at him. "What? Is there a problem?"_

_"Well, it was ME he asked..." Junpei grimaced._

_~Tatsumi Port Island Memorial Hospital~_

_Minako, Yukari, and Junpei walked down each hall. Junpei was leading them._

_"Are you sure you know which way you're going?" Yukari asked, annoyed._

_"I-I'm sure, don't worry!" Junpei said hastily._

_Minako began looking around. "Why don't we just pick a door and open it?"_

_Yukari and Junpei looked at her. _

_"Wouldn't that be...kind of rude, Minako?" Yukari asked._

_Minako shrugged. "We're already lost. Just ask someone in one of the rooms for directions."_

_Yukari sighed. 'Sometimes, I would love to know how her mind works...'_

_Junpei finally lost his patience. "Awww, to hell with it!" He ran to the nearest door, and opened it. When he did, there was a young man staring back at him. He had brown hair and gray eyes, and wore a burgundy pea coat and a black beanie. He was staring coldly at an intimidated Junpei. _

_"Umm...is...Akihiko-senpai...in this room...? By any chance?" Junpei asked hesitantly._

_The man continued to stare at Junpei. Minako and Yukari fought their way around Junpei to get inside the room._

_"Geez, Stupei! Why'd you stop in the middle of the doorway?" Yukari yelled._

_Minako poked Yukari's shoulder to get her attention. Yukari then turned to see who Junpei was staring at. As the man stared back at them, Yukari recoiled behind Junpei._

_Just then, Akihiko emerged from behind the curtain hanging in his room. He looked surprised when he saw the three teenagers in his room._

_"What are all of you guys doing here?" Akihiko asked._

_"We came to see you." Minako smiled at him._

_A faint blush appeared on Akihiko's face. "I'm just here for a checkup." He smiled._

_"Is that it, Aki?" The young man asked. His face was void of any emotions._

_Akihiko turned to face the man. "Yeah, thanks."_

_The man grunted. "Tch...I don't have time for this shit." He was heading for the door. Junpei and Yukari swiftly moved out of his way, obviously intimidated by him. However, Minako didn't move. As the man was about to leave, he stopped in front of her and looked at her._

_"You..." He began. _

_Minako looked at him, and smiled gently. "...Yes?"_

_The man looked like he was deep in thought, as if pondering something over. "...Nevermind." He then walked out of the room. Minako looked back at the direction he left it. She giggled._

_"Wh-Who was that?" Junpei asked._

_Akihiko looked at him. "A friend from school...sort of. You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been increasing? Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it. Hey Junpei, did you bring what I asked?"_

_Junpei grinned. "Of course, Senpai!" He handed the senior the class roster for 2-E._

_Akihiko smiled. "Sorry for the trouble. Well then, let's get going!"_

_"Uh, you shouldn't move your arm..." Junpei told him._

_"It's nothing." Akihiko said seriously. "I've wasted enough time already. I need to get back to my training."_

_Yukari stepped forward. "By the way, Senpai, why boxing?"_

_Akihiko looked at her. "You mean, why did I choose that sport? Well...it's not the sport itself I like; I just want to learn how to fight." All of a sudden, his face saddened. He looked down at the ground. "I know what it's like to feel powerless...and I don't want to feel that way again." He looked back up at them, fire burning in his eyes. " Besides, I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."_

_Junpei scratched his head. "That's an interesting way of looking at it. You know, I'm into games, too..."_

_Yukari frowned. "Yeah, VIDEO games."_

_"Oh, but I like fighting games too." Junpei said passionately._

_"...Whatever." Yukari sounded more annoyed than ever._

_"I like video games, too!" Minako said cheerfully. That caused Yukari to give her a surprised look._

_"Haha! See, even Minako-tan likes games!" Junpei smiled widely. Junpei put his arm around Minako's shoulder, and gave Yukari a peace sign. Minako smiled widely as well._

_"Ugh, I swear, you two should go out with each other...the two of you are so alike it's almost frightening." Yukari frowned._

_While Junpei and Minako were laughing at Yukari's remark, however, Akihiko had a somewhat painful expression on his face. Minako noticed it and turned to looked at him._

_"Are you feeling alright, Senpai?" Minako asked with a concerned face._

_Akihiko looked at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm fine." He smiled sadly. "Well, let's go, then."_

_Minako nodded. "C'mon, 'boyfriend'!" She giggled._

_That caught Yukari and Akihiko off guard. Junpei and Minako began laughing at them the whole way back to the dorm..._

_..._

_..._

**Memories of Our First Encounter, End...**

Everyone opened their eyes. The memory had become etched into their minds as everyone began to regain their consciousness.

"Wow...Minako-san seems...cheerful." Yosuke smiled.

Yukari nodded. "She was always like that...sometimes, though, I wondered if she really was cheerful, or if she was just covering up her sadness..." She smiled sadly.

"Hey, this is Minako-tan we're talking about, here!" Junpei yelled. "She's cheerful by nature!"

"...By the way, Senpai..." Fuuka began. "Why did you stop and look at Minako-chan on your way out of the hospital?"

Shinjiro looked at her. He began to ponder something in his mind.

"Isn't it obvious? That was when he first fell in love with Minako-san!" Rise smiled. "It's like a forbidden love! So romantic...right, Senpai?" She held onto Souji's arm, tightly hugging it against her chest. Souji's face turned slightly red.

"..." Yukiko just glared at Rise.

"..." Shinjiro stared at Rise. "...Hell no."

"...?" Ken looked at Shinjiro. "Then, that's _not_ when you fell in love with Minako...I mean, Minako-san?"

Shinjiro began thinking again. '...That wasn't it...I felt as if I've seen her before...long ago. But where...?'

"Shinji!"

The sound of Akihiko's voice snapped Shinjiro back into reality.

"...Ryoji has something to say." Akihiko told him. Shinjiro looked at Ryoji.

"As I was saying..." Ryoji continued. "I believe we have time for one more memory retrieval. We should get going, though, or else it will be too late."

Everyone nodded, and followed Ryoji down more corridors. It was then that another door appeared in front of the team. This time, it was entitled "Memories of Our Second Encounter". And once again, it had the name "Shinjiro Aragaki" right underneath the title.

"Second encounter, meaning..." Yukari and Junpei remembered that event. It pretty much scarred Junpei, so how could he _not_ remember it?

"Well...?" Ryoji said to Shinjiro. Shinjiro walked up to the door, and opened it.

...

**Memories of Our Second Encounter...**

_Minako, Yukari, and Junpei were standing beside each other right by the door._

_"...Alright, let's get going." Yukari smiled._

_"What's your hurry?" Junpei grimaced. "...I still think this is a bad idea. I mean, bringing two girls THERE is like wandering into a lion's den with steaks strapped to my face..." He looked at Yukari. "How could you be afraid of ghosts, but not be scared of this...?"_

_"It's easy to get freaked out by something you can't see, don'tcha think?" Yukari said._

_Junpei had a serious look on his face. "Actually, I'm more worried about things I CAN see...like bats and knives!"_

_Yukari sighed. "Big deal, so it's a little 'dangerous'..." She smiled again. "Come on, it'll be an adventure!" She walked out the door._

_"More like a suicide mission." Junpei yelled in her direction._

_"Adventure time!" Minako yelled, pumping her right arm into the air._

_Junpei looked shocked. "Huh? You're actually excited about this?"_

_..._

_~Back Alley, Evening~_

_When they arrived at the back alley of Port Island Station, there were a bunch of delinquent-looking young men and women hanging around each other. They all looked up to look at the three juniors walking towards them._

_"...The hell?" One punk yelled, glaring at the three juniors._

_"Check out those rags...they're from Gekkou High." Another punk told everyone. _

_Junpei flinched. "Oh man, this is worse than I thought..."_

_The first punk stood up. "Hey, you. I think you're in the wrong place."_

_Junpei recoiled from the punk. "Uh...well, I..."_

_"You don't belong here...get it? Beat it, Goatee..." The punk said smugly._

_"G-Goatee?" Junpei's eyes widened. "Oh, y-you mean me..."_

_"We don't need your permission to be here." Yukari said angrily._

_"H-Hey! Are you nuts?" Junpei yelled, pulling on Yukari's arm. "Take a look around you!"_

_Yukari frowned. "I'm not blind, ya know." She looked at the back alley folk. "Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!"_

_"What was that?" The first punk yelled, obviously angry._

_A young woman wearing heavy makeup stood up next. "She just called us 'scum'. We'll post some pictures that will make her daddy cry! She'll wish she was never born!"_

_The other girls she was hanging around with began laughing insanely._

_'...Ugh.' Minako winced at their laughter._

_"These guys are the worst..." Yukari said angrily._

_The first punk glared at Yukari. "You oughta learn to shut that trap of yours." He turned to face Junpei. "Man, I feel sorry for you, Goatee. This bitch is a pain in the ass...huh!" Right then, the punk punched Junpei in the stomach._

_"Ugh!" Junpei collapsed on the ground._

_"Junpei...!" Yukari kneeled down to help Junpei._

_As the other punks began walking toward Yukari and Junpei, Minako stood in between them._

_"Get outta the way, bitch!" One punk yelled._

_Minako didn't budge. She just glared at them with anger in her eyes. "Don't you dare touch them!"_

_"Minako...don't...!" Yukari yelled._

_"You're asking for it...!" Another punk swung at Minako. Minako swiftly dodged the punk's fist, thanks to her sharp reflexes. However, at six punks to one girl, the odds were against her. One of the punks grabbed a hold of Minako's shirt collar._

_"Nngh..." Minako struggled to get free from the punk's grip. _

_"Minako-tan!" Junpei yelled._

_The punk was about ready to punch Minako in the stomach._

_"Minako!" Yukari yelled._

_"That's enough."_

_Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Minako recognized who's voice it was almost immediately._

_Just then, the same young man from the other day walked onto the scene. He had a serious scowl on his face._

_"They didn't know what they were getting into. I'll make sure they leave. Alright?" The man asked calmly._

_The first punk looked angry. "Who do you think you are, dumbass? You want some too?" He swung at the man, but he easily dodged. The man then grabbed hold of the punk's shirt and head-butted him, causing the punk to fall to the ground._

_"Shit!" The punk gasped. "You just crossed the line! You think you're going home alive?" _

_"Sure do...wanna give it a try?" The man said with a rather...intimidating look on his face._

_The man flinched. "Uh...s-screw this..."_

_The girls who were hanging around with the punks began to laugh again. "What a loser!" One chick yelled._

_"Damn you, Shinjiro..." The second punk yelled. "That's right...you're from Gekkou High too, aren't ya?"_

_The first punk stood up, clutching his head in pain. "You better grow eyes in the back of your head!" And with that, the punks ran off. The girls they were hanging out with left as well._

_Junpei managed to stand up onto his feet. "Oh man, Senpai, that was awesome!" _

_"Hey, I remember you...you clowns were in Aki's room at the hospital." Shinjiro said. He then got angry. "You idiots! Get outta here, this place isn't for you." As he was about to walk away, Yukari cut him off._

_"Wait!" She yelled. "We came here for a reason!"_

_Shinjiro looked at Yukari, then at Minako. "Did Aki tell you to come here?"_

_Minako shook her head. "No..."_

_Shinjiro grunted, then proceeded to sit down on the steps. "What do you wanna know? About that ghost story?"_

_Yukari was surprised. "Um, yeah...how'd you know?"_

_"It's a rumor." Shinjiro told them. "Those girls who wound up in the hospital were here talkin' shit every night...about all the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka."_

_"Fuuka...? You mean Fuuka Yamagishi, from 2-E? They were picking on her?" Junpei asked._

_Shinjiro continued talking. "That's why people are saying it's Fuuka's spirit that did it."_

_"Fuuka's spirit...? Wait, what do you mean by that?" Yukari asked, confused._

_"You guys don't know?" Shinjiro looked almost surprised. "This Fuuka girl might be dead. She hasn't been home in over a week."_

_Junpei looked shocked. "Are you serious? I thought she was out sick...but, she's missing?"_

_Yukari sighed. "So much for the ghost story. Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E, right? Does he know about this...?" _

_Shinjiro looked down. "I get it, Aki...still trying to make up for the past. It's you who can't let go..." He murmured._

_"...?" Yukari looked at Shinjiro, as did Minako. _

_Shinjiro looked up at them. "...Nothing." He stood up. "That's all I know...satisfied?"_

_"Thank you very much!" Minako smiled at him. Shinjiro looked away from her gaze._

_"...I didn't do nothing." Shinjiro said. Minako saw a faint blush appear on Shinjiro's face._

_"Um, thank you very much. You even gave us a hint...you're very kind." Yukari smiled._

_"Huh?" Shinjiro asked, almost as if he thought he heard her wrong._

_Yukari recoiled. "I, um...never mind."_

_"Tch...don't come here again." And with that, Shinjiro walked away._

_Junpei collapsed back onto the ground. "Ok...we are NEVER doing that again!"_

_Yukari sighed. "It wasn't that bad..."_

_Junpei looked angry. "Easy for you to say! You weren't the one who got punched in the stomach!"_

_As those two were fighting, Minako gazed back in the direction that Shinjiro left._

_'He's not what everyone else thinks he is...' Minako thought. 'I can sense it: he's building up a wall in between himself and others...to hide the sorrow and pain he's feeling...I saw it in his eyes...'_

_After that, they decided to return to the dorm._

_..._

_..._

**Memories of Our Second Encounter, End...**

Once again, the team opened their eyes. Junpei was clutching his stomach.

"Ugh...I swear I felt the pain from that day a second time..." Junpei winced.

"I'm sorry...you guys went through all that because of what happened to me..." Fuuka frowned.

Yukari looked at her. "It's not your fault, Fuuka...we were just helping a friend in need!"

"If punks like those were to surround me, I'd give them a good ass-kicking!" Kanji yelled.

"...I think that would only cause more problems." Chie frowned.

"Besides, they were surrounded by almost a dozen guys! How would you have dealt with all those people?" Teddie asked.

"Tch...a real man wins a fight, no matter the disadvantage!" Kanji said proudly.

Teddie began thinking very hard. Finally, as if a light bulb went on in his head, he pointed his furry paw at Kanji. "_Kan_-jection!"

The younger generation groaned. Even Souji looked annoyed. The older generation just stared at Teddie.

"...Doesn't he remind you of someone...?" Junpei asked Akihiko, his eyes wide in disbelief. "I mean...with all those lame ass puns..."

Akihiko groaned as well, knowing full well _whom_ Junpei was referring to. "...Just let it go, Junpei..."

"Well, I'd say that was a fairly productive evening!" Ryoji smiled. "What shall we do tomorrow, before the next mission?"

Everyone sighed.

"We might just take it easy...we're tired." Yukari said. Fuuka seemed to agree with her.

Junpei, however, looked like he still had energy left. "If the _girls_ are too tired, I say we have a guys only day tomorrow! Whaddaya say?" He swung his arm around Ryoji's shoulder.

"That's sounds like fun!" Ryoji cheered. "Who else is in?"

"I think I'll pass for tomorrow...I need to train for the next mission." Akihiko said.

"Sorry, I think I'll pass as well." Ken told them.

"Oooh I'll join in!" Teddie yelled.

"That sounds like a plan." Yosuke said, smiling.

"...Hmph." Souji smiled, then nodded in agreement.

"Well, if Senpai's going, count me in." Kanji smiled.

"..." Naoto remained silent. She wasn't sure if she should ask to join them or not, considering how she's biologically not a male. Souji looked in her direction, then smiled softly.

"Hey...is it alright if Naoto tagged along?" Souji asked. Naoto looked surprised.

"H-Huh? But she's a girl!" Junpei yelled.

Naoto didn't take that comment too well. "...Excuse me?"

Junpei's eyes widened. "Oh, s-sorry...I didn't mean it in a bad way..."

Souji sighed. "It's a long story...so, can she join us, or not?"

It was Junpei's turn to sigh. "Alright..."

Naoto smiled slightly. "I thank you, Senpai." She blushed slightly. Souji smiled back.

"Well then, I guess we have plans!" Ryoji cheered.

And with that, Junpei, Ryoji, and the others they made plans with walked off together. Yukari and Fuuka walked off as well, tired from the mission. Ken also left.

"Come on, Yukiko, don't let it get to you so much..." Chie said with a concerned tone.

"...What do you mean...?" Yukiko said. She had a pissed off look on her face.

"Uh...nevermind." Chie looked scared, but continued to follow Yukiko as she left. Rise ran after them.

"...I'm going to get some sleep." Akihiko said. "I'll see you tomorrow night, I guess..." And with that, Akihiko left, not even catching a glance at Shinjiro.

Shinjiro sighed. 'When will you ever grow up, Aki. We're not kids anymore..'

Aigis walked over to Shinjiro. She hadn't spoken at all since the mission began, so when she poked Shinjiro's shoulder to get his attention, he jumped a little.

"...Oh, it's you, Aigis..." Shinjiro said, regaining his composure. "...Whaddaya want?"

"You seem to have known Minako before you met that day...otherwise, you wouldn't have stopped to look at her..." Aigis said calmly. "Tell me...where did you meet her before?"

"..." Shinjiro stared at her. "...The hell should I know?"

Aigis looked at Shinjiro, then up to the stars. "...Minako-san is probably looking down upon us right now...do you think she knows the answer to your question?"

"..." Shinjiro remained silent.

"...I assume you're not going to hang out with the others, right?" Aigis asked. "If you like, I would love to hang out with you tomorrow."

Shinjiro looked at her, his eyes widened. "Why would you want to hang out with me?"

Aigis looked at him. "Like you, I too felt a strong bond between myself and Minako-san...one that I never wanted to let go. We both share the same goal: to revive Minako-san with all of her memories intact." She began to walk towards the stairs. "...Think of it as a...bonding experience. If you would like to meet with me, meet me at the Iwatodai strip mall." And with that, she left.

Shinjiro scratched her head. '...Hmph. It's not like I can refuse. I just hope this won't end up biting me in the ass.' Shinjiro then left the rooftop as well...

* * *

I loved the second memory, when they go to the back alley. Awesome Shinjiro moment right there. You'd think that his head would hurt from head-butting someone, but Shinjiro is just too badass.

As for the lame pun I came up with for Teddie, I came up with that as a fusion of his lame "Kan-jecture" joke during the King's Game episode of P4, but I made it into "Kan-jection" instead, to resemble "Objection!". I made a reference to the _Ace Attorney_ series for the DS. Namely, the way Phoenix Wright does it. I love those games haha. (For the record, I don't own _Ace Attorney_, either.)

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter will be both a guys day out (plus Naoto), and a separate time of Aigis with Shinjiro. I can almost sense the sparks flying (almost). I thank those who have still been faithful in reading my story! And please review!


	13. One's True Self

Sorry for the wait! I was trying to come up with ways on improving the memory retrieval chapters, so they don't sound too boring. I came up with a few ideas, and will try one of them out next chapter.

This chapter is the Boy's Day Out/Aigis's chat with Shinjiro chapter. One of my OCs, Hayate, will be returning...and I decided that he will have a semi-major role in my story. I hope you like this chapter!

**CAUTION: This chapter has some scenes that may be unsettling to some readers.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters.

* * *

~Paulownia Mall, Morning~

Ryoji, Teddie, Souji, Yosuke, and Naoto were waiting for Junpei to arrive.

"You'd think he'd be the FIRST one here, since he was the one who came up with the idea in the first place..." Yosuke smirked.

Souji shrugged. "That's probably just the kind of guy Junpei-san is."

"In my opinion, I think that this is a good idea. After everything that Junpei-san has been through these past few days, this 'boys day out' thing might not be so bad." Naoto told them.

Yosuke frowned. "...Yeah. I mean, I can see where the guy's coming from and all. I remember when we were solving that murder case back in Inaba, and Saki-senpai was murdered..." He balled his hands into fists, looking at the ground. "...I felt that I had to solve the murder no matter what, in order to find out the truth."

Ryoji looked shocked. "Whoa, you guys solved a murder?"

Souji looked at him. "It's a long story..."

"Long story short: someone threw people in TVs, we decided to put a stop to it using our personas, and in the end Souji beat a huge demonic goddess that tried to destroy humanity." Yosuke told him. Ryoji's eyes were almost glittering.

Teddie was just listening along, when he saw two people walking towards them. "Hey look! It's Junpei-san!"

They all looked in the direction Teddie was pointing toward. It was indeed Junpei. An unfamiliar young man was with him.

"Hey, dudes!" Junpei waved at them. "Sorry I'm late, had to get this guy outta bed." He pointed nonchalantly at the guy next to him.

The guy smiled. "My name's Hayate Yamamoto. I'm Junpei's roommate."

"Souji Seta."

"Yosuke Hanamura, nice to meet you man."

"My name is Naoto Shirogane."

"Teddie!"

"Ryoji Mochizuki, nice to meet ya."

Junpei grinned. "Now that everyone's well acquainted, I say we get the show on the road!"

They all looked at each other.

"...To do what?" Yosuke asked.

"I say we hunt out some nice ladies." Hayate grinned. "...But that's just me." Right when he said that, he began eyeballing Naoto.

Naoto just looked at him. "...Why are you staring at me?"

He chuckled. "I know a girl when I see one. You just have that vibe around you."

Naoto began blushing profusely when he said that.

Yosuke looked surprised. "Wow...he saw right through her..."

Junpei shrugged. "That's Hayate for you...he has a built in girl-radar." He looked at everyone. "I say we go to the arcade first, then hit the movie theater at Port Island Station."

"Sweet! C'mon you guys! Time for some bear-rific fun!" Teddie ran off towards the arcade.

Souji smirked and walked towards the arcade as well.

"Well, Brosuke? You in?" Junpei asked, winking at him.

Yosuke cringed a little. "...Not if you keep looking at me like that!" Junpei grabbed Yosuke by the arm and literally pulled him into the arcade. Ryoji ran in after them.

Hayate smiled at Naoto. "You want to go in, Naoto-san?"

Naoto averted his gaze. "A-Alright..." They both walked in together.

~Game Panic~

When Naoto and Hayate walked in, Teddie and Ryoji were already doing their own thing. They were playing Dance Dance Revolution. Yosuke and Junpei were laughing at how poorly they were doing. Souji was standing by the wall, thinking about something.

"What would you like to do, Naoto-san?" Hayate asked.

Naoto looked around the arcade. "Now that you mention it, I heard that they added a new game I wanted to try out." She began looking for it, Hayate following her.

"Hmm...ah!" She stopped at a lone machine. "Here it is."

Hayate began observing it closely. "I played this game before. I like it, and it's the only game in this arcade where you can save your progress and play it later."

Naoto looked at him. She noticed that his eyes were glittering from excitement. "Would you like to play, Hayate-san?"

Hayate looked at her, then back at the game. "I guess I'll give it another shot, I can't beat this one boss, though..." He put in some coins and the game loaded itself. Yosuke and Junpei walked over to them after watching Ryoji and Teddie make fools of themselves.

"What're you guys playing?" Yosuke asked.

The screen read _'Please enter screen name_'. Hayate hesitated.

"What's wrong, Hayate-san?" Naoto asked. Junpei began to laugh.

"You shut the hell up, Junpei!" Hayate yelled. His cheeks turned red. He typed in his username: _SexManiac001_.

"...Dude, that's just messed up." Yosuke frowned. Naoto looked disgusted. Hayate looked embarrassed.

"H-Hey, I've only done it two times!" Hayate yelled.

Junpei shook his head. "Don't give me that, you tell me not to come back to the room almost 4 nights a week...and each time it's with a _different girl_."

Hayate glared at Junpei, who retreated behind Yosuke.

"...Screw this, let me just play this game in peace!" Hayate yelled, and pushed 'enter'. The game looked a little retro, with the game characters little sprites with the exception of their dialogue pictures. "I can't beat this damn boss to save my life."

They were watching intently as Hayate tried to get to the boss. When his character finally did, he attacked the boss with a move called Force Dance. It did massive damage, except the boss attacked three times in a row, and regenerated most of his HP back. Hayate's character got instantaneously. The other members of his party- -a girl with a flower type thing on her head, a boy wearing a white hat, and another girl that looked like she was going to a cosplay convention- -got wiped out shortly afterward. Blue letters flashed across the screen: MISSION FAILED.

"Argh!" Hayate punched the machine.

"Looks like you lost again, Hayate!" Junpei smirked. Hayate glared at Junpei. Interested by the commotion, Souji walked over to them.

"What are you guys playing?" Souji asked.

Naoto looked at him. "It's a new game they installed here. Hayate-san couldn't defeat this one boss."

Souji looked at the screen. "Mind if I try?"

Hayate shrugged and signed back in. Souji then took control. It only took a few minutes for Souji to defeat the boss.

"That was easy as hell." Souji looked at Hayate. "What were you doing to make yourself lose so much?"

Hayate looked glum. "...Aw to hell with it all."

Junpei laughed. "Face it. You weren't cut out for video games."

"Well, so what? I'd rather be with a girl anyway. At least I can _get_ a girl, while you're inside the dorm all day playing this shit." Hayate shot back, obviously irritated.

Junpei's face turned serious. "Says the one who just got their ass handed to him! And who said I can't get a girl?"

Hayate was pissed now. "I've never even seen you with a girl that wasn't your friend. It's almost as if you're afraid of falling in love! What, you still clinging on to a pathetic unrequited love story, or what?"

"...!" Junpei looked hurt. He ran out of the arcade.

"Junpei-san!" Naoto yelled.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him." Yosuke ran off to search for Junpei.

Souji looked at Hayate. "You didn't have to get pissed off just cause you lost a game."

Hayate sighed. "I know I shouldn't. I just hate it when people look down on me, ya know?"

Souji remained silent.

Naoto looked at him. "I can understand that you dislike being looked down upon, but anger is not the correct way to deal with it." She smirked. "Why don't you apologize to Junpei-san after Yosuke-senpai has a talk with him?"

Hayate's eyes began to sparkle. "You are so kind to me, Naoto-kun..." He took Naoto's hand in his own. "I don't deserve your kindness..." He then embraced her, and proceeded to lick Naoto's neck very gently. This sent a chill down her spine.

"Whaaa?" Naoto tried to get herself free from Hayate's grip. "What are you doing? Release me!"

Hayate wouldn't listen, he just continued to lick her neck. Then, he rested his hand against Naoto's chest, caressing her breasts.

"Eek!" Tears formed in Naoto's eyes. "St-Stop!"

Souji had seen enough. He put his hand on Hayate's shoulder and forcibly removed him from Naoto.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Souji yelled.

Hayate looked confused. "That's how I show my kindness to a lady. Is that so wrong?"

Souji looked angry. "You don't show kindness to a girl by molesting her!" He punched Hayate in the face. Very hard. "Stay the fuck away from Naoto!"

"Senpai..." Naoto blushed, holding onto Souji like a terrified child.

Hayate looked at him, speechless. He then ran out of the arcade.

Souji then directed his attention to Naoto.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Naoto looked at him. "...I'm fine...Senpai..." She was still shaken up.

Souji smiled at her. "I'm glad." He kissed Naoto on the forehead.

Naoto blushed.

"Dude, what was that yelling about?" Ryoji yelled. He and Teddie found Souji and Naoto.

Souji shrugged. "I got pissed off, that's all."

Teddie's eyes widened. "I didn't know Sensei had such a short fuse!"

Ryoji then looked at Naoto. Her eyes were red. "Whoa, what happened to you, Naoto-san?"

Naoto wiped her eyes. "It's nothing of importance. Can we just forget any of that ever happened?"

Souji nodded. "I will if you will."

Naoto smiled. Ryoji and Teddie looked as confused as ever.

Meanwhile...

~Paulownia Mall~

Junpei was sitting on one of the benches in front of the fountain. Yosuke was sitting next to him.

"Seriously, how can you have such a jackass like that as your friend?" Yosuke asked. "He had no sympathy for you whatsoever!"

Junpei looked down. "...Hayate's always been like that. He hates it when people make fun of him. It's partly my fault too, since I was the one who started it."

Yosuke frowned. "What? But he basically ripped your heart out!"

Junpei smiled. "It's not always about whose fault it is. What matters is whether or not you can keep that friendship after all that's happened. Friends are meant to be cherished, afterall. The bonds we create with others is very important. That's why that even after everything we've said and done to each other, me and Hayate are still buds!"

Yosuke looked surprised. "Dude, that doesn't sound like you. Even though I haven't known you for very long...truth be told you seemed like a...player." He scratched his head.

"Haha...! Yeah, I'm still kind of that way. I was more like Hayate back in high school." Junpei looked at the sky. "...Minako-tan taught me about how important bonds are. You will not believe how depressed I was when Chidori sacrificed her life to save mine. But Minako-tan told me 'even though she's gone, you still have friends who care about you and want you to be happy. Bonds are very important! Who knows, Chidori might come back because of how much your bond with her meant to her.' Sure enough, towards the end of January...Chidori _did_ come back...I was so happy when I found out...!"

Yosuke smiled sadly. "I wish I was as lucky as you..."

Junpei looked at him.

Yosuke continued. "I had this girl I liked...her name was Saki Konishi. She was a 3rd year. She worked at the store my dad owned. As a result, her own dad often scolded her and hated her. It was because of my family's store that Saki-senpai's liquor store was going out of business. Whenever she came to work, she always seemed sad and alone. I would always go and talk with her whenever she was on break. She would always smile at me and wouldn't hesitate to treat me like a little brother." Yosuke's smile disappeared. "...Then...the murders began."

Junpei looked at him. "You mean that serial murder case that happened in Inaba? I saw the news about that on TV! Something about people dying in unusual circumstances, right?"

Yosuke nodded. "Well, in reality they were being thrown into TVs...the people were then killed by their 'shadows'."

"You serious?" Junpei yelled. "Wait, so people can have shadows, too?"

"Yeah, and if you can't face your shadow and accept who you truly are, then your shadow with kill you..." Yosuke frowned. "That's what happened to Saki-senpai..."

"...!" Junpei looked at him again.

Yosuke began talking. "She was thrown into a TV by..._someone_...and couldn't accept who she really was. Her shadow then proceeded to kill her. The next morning...she was found hanging upside down on a telephone pole."

Junpei cringed. "That sounds..." He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

Yosuke smiled. "I know what you mean. I felt like crying at the time...but I figured that it was a waste of time. Instead, I decided to find out what really happened. I managed to get Souji and Chie-chan to come along with me, and me and Souji entered a TV, and ended up in a place called the TV World. Chie-chan stayed behind in case something were to happen to us. It was in the TV World that I found out the truth..."

Junpei looked confused. "The...truth...?"

Yosuke looked at him. "...It turns out, Saki-senpai didn't even like me. She even stated that she hated me and that I was annoying. I realized that that was her shadow talking, and not actually Senpai, but because her Shadow is her 'true self'...I knew that was how Senpai really felt about me."

Junpei looked down. "...Harsh, dude...I feel like an ass, now, talking about my problems when yours were ten times worse!"

Yosuke smirked. "Haha..._thanks_..." He said in a sarcastic tone. "Anyway, after that I had to face my own shadow. Me being a wuss and all, I couldn't face it. My shadow would have killed me too, if Souji wasn't there to fight it. After he defeated my shadow with his persona, I accepted my shadow as a part of me, and it turned into my own persona."

Junpei smiled. "That's cool, man."

"Yeah..." Yosuke smiled as well. "If Souji wasn't there to help me out every time something came up, I don't know what would've happened. I guess...Souji to me and the rest of us is like how Minako-san was to you and the rest of your friends, huh?"

Junpei nodded. "Yeah. We're lucky to have friends that care about us, don't we?"

"Got that right." Yosuke extended his hand to Junpei. "C'mon, let's do our best to help out Minako-san. She seemed like a great person, and I don't want the guilt of us failing to help her over our shoulders. Let's give it our all, right, Junpei-san?"

Junpei smiled widely. "You got it, Brosuke! ...Oh, and you don't have to call me 'Junpei-_san_'. Just 'Junpei' is fine! We're buds, afterall!"

Yosuke smirked. "Only if you stop calling me 'Brosuke'." They both laughed and walked back into the arcade to join the rest of their friends...unaware of what transpired during their little chat...

...

...

~Hagakure, Evening~

Shinjiro walked into Hagakure, and saw Aigis sitting at one of the tables. He proceed to walk over to her.

"Ah...Shinjiro-san." Aigis greeted him. Shinjiro sat down across from her.

"Hi, what'll it be?" The cook asked Shinjiro.

"A Hagakure Bowl." Shinjiro replied.

"Commin' right up!" The cook went straight to preparing Shinjiro's ramen.

Aigis looked at him. "I hope that I did not catch you at an inconvenient time?"

"..." Shinjiro looked in another direction, his chin being propped up by one of his hands. "...No."

Aigis smiled. "I'm glad...how have you been holding up? Being the leader and all...?"

"...Fine." Shinjiro told her. "I'm not cut out for the leader role, though...would of been better if someone else was leader."

Aigis nodded. "I understand...however, you were the person Minako-san cared about the most...it's only natural that you would be the leader."

Shinjiro looked at her. "But you were our leader when we were locked up in the dorm...you even gained her persona back then, like I did now."

"That is true...but back then, I gained her persona in fear that Metis might kill our friends..." Aigis stated. "...You gained her persona because while everyone else was fighting so hard in order to help Minako-san, you felt useless because you were the only one not doing anything. You were the one who wanted to help Minako-san the most, yet all you could do in your state at the time was stand on the sidelines. That must have been very painful for you..."

Shinjiro grunted.

Aigis continued. "Now do you understand? I gained her persona out of necessity. You gained her persona because of fate. Only you have the power to break Minako-san free from the seal with her memories intact...and only you know what has to be done. Minako-san put all her faith and trust in you...she knows you will succeed. She believes in you...and she loves you..." Aigis smiled sadly.

"..." Shinjiro looked at Aigis with an unreadable expression on his face. "...She cared about you, too. I ain't worth shit..."

"Your talk with Junpei-san was very leader-like of you..." Aigis said. "I believe that you are worth more to Minako-san...to _everyone_...for all the effort that your putting into helping us."

Shinjiro remained silent. His bowl of ramen came, so he started to eat.

"...Although...I have been curious about something for some time, now..." Aigis stated.

Shinjiro looked up.

"...Why has Akihiko-san been acting hostile around you, whenever Minako-san is mentioned?" Aigis asked.

"...Tch." Shinjiro grunted. "Hell if I know...he probably has some sort of grudge against me or something. He's acting like a little kid."

Aigis shook her head. "I believe that he is letting his emotions get the best of him...he did love Minako-san, too, afterall."

"Same difference." Shinjiro stated. "If he _did_ love Minako, then that gives him a reason to bear a grudge against me. It's as simple as that."

Aigis tilted her head slightly. "But...why would he hold a grudge against you?"

Shinjiro dropped his chopsticks and looked at Aigis. "...No idea." He looked away. 'He must still hate me for not being able to protect her during..._that_ incident. He thinks that Minako didn't like him, because she ended up falling in love with me...and because he failed to protect her as well. He's just shifting the blame on me, cause he can't face that fact. Tch...that idiot!'

"Shinjiro-san? Is something the matter...?" Aigis asked.

Shinjiro came back to reality. "Huh? Oh...nothing."

Aigis smiled. "Well, regardless...I had fun talking with you. I hope that tonight we'll be able to accomplish something." She extended her metal hand. Shinjiro looked at her for a second, then reached for her hand and shook it. "Let's do our best!" Aigis said.

A faint smile appeared on Shinjiro's face.

Just then, some people came running into Hagakure. When Aigis and Shinjiro looked towards the entrance, they saw that it was Junpei and Yosuke.

"Shinjiro-senpai, Ai-chan!" Junpei yelled.

"Tch...what is it, now?" Shinjiro asked, annoyed by the commotion they were making.

"I-It's Hayate...!" Junpei tried to catch his breath, as was Yosuke.

"...Who?" Shinjiro had a pained looked on his face.

Junpei's eyes widened. "Oh, right. You haven't met him, yet! He's a friend of mine who hung out with us today. Anyways! He's missing, we can't find him anywhere!" Junpei yelled.

Shinjiro looked confused. "Calm down, already."

"*pant pant* Sorry, Senpai..." Junpei said.

Aigis stood up. "Where have you looked so far?"

Yosuke looked at her. "We checked Paulownia Mall, the strip mall, both Iwatodai and Port Island Station, and Junpei's college dorm."

Aigis began thinking. "Why don't we get Fuuka-san and Rise-san to search for him? It would be easier that way than just blindly looking."

Junpei looked at her. "But they can only sense Personas and Shadows! How are they going to find an ordinary person?"

Just then, Yosuke came up with something. "You know...Souji told me that a lot happened after you left the arcade...he said that Hayate told him that he hates being looked down upon, and that he tried to have his way with Naoto...forcibly."

Junpei looked shocked. "What? That doesn't sound like Hayate...he'd never take advantage of a girl! And he never once complained about anything!"

Shinjiro looked at Yosuke. "Did you just say...he _forcibly_ tried to have his way with Shirogane?"

Yosuke flinched. "Uh...yeah...? Why?"

Shinjiro's hands balled into fists. "...Nothing. We should get back to the others..." Shinjiro left Hagakure.

Aigis frowned. "...Shinjiro-san..." She looked at Junpei and Yosuke. "I'm going to head back with Shinjiro-san...he looked unstable and I want to make sure he's alright."

Junpei nodded. Aigis took off to catch up with Shinjiro.

"What was that about?" Yosuke asked.

Junpei sighed. "...Nothing you need to worry about, Brosuke. He's just being the same old Senpai..." He looked at Yosuke. "Anyways, does that mean that he's hiding from us, afraid we might punish him for what he did?"

Yosuke looked worried. "That's not the only thing that's on my mind...remember what I told you about the TV World, and how Saki-senpai couldn't face her Shadow and got killed?"

"...Oh, crap..." Junpei understood what Yosuke was getting at. "You don't think...!"

Yosuke nodded. "It's a long-shot, but it could very well happen to Hayate-san. We need to find him, and fast!"

Junpei nodded, and they both darted out of Hagakure.

* * *

Well, how did you like it?

The reason I put that whole Hayate/Naoto incident in here was to set up the plot for the next chapter. This chapter might give you a few hints to what I'm going to do for the next chapter, did you notice any of the hints? :D

That game that they were playing in the arcade, you may have recognized it from the description of the characters, but if not, I made a reference to _Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor_. That one fight that Hayate kept talking about was the one where you had to defeat Belberith. I couldn't stand that fight. That was the only one I had HUGE problems defeating. Stupid Belberith and his stupid Victory Cry D:

I thank everyone for reviewing my story so far! And some of you claimed that Akihiko's anger towards Shinjiro was a little forced? The truth is, I did that on purpose. I plan on doing something with Akihiko in a later chapter. This chapter might have even foreshadowed said event, actually... ^_^;;

Once again, thank you so much, and please review!

PS: Even though I already have ideas for my next chapter laid out, I'm most likely not going to update until after Christmas/New Year's...I have a huge US History assignment to do, and I need to finish it T_T. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! ^_^


	14. One's True Self part 2

Huh...I managed to get this chapter done before New Year's. That's good, then. It was killing me on the inside, cause I had so much stuff to talk about in this chapter, and it all revolves around Hayate, the perverted obsessed psycho that is my OC. However, some of you may be surprised with him, as you will find out more about him in this chapter.

**Oh...and also...some of you may hate me forever after you read this. It's just a little warning for what happens later in this chapter.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

~?, Late Evening~

Everyone met up at the apartment where the younger generation (and Ryoji) were staying at during their stay in Iwatodai. Most of them had solemn looks on their faces. Fuuka and Rise were concentrating on trying to find Hayate. They focused as their Personas began scanning the area.

"Juno couldn't sense anything." Fuuka sighed.

Rise sighed as well, and seemed tired. "Kanzeon couldn't detect anything, either."

Junpei looked downward. "This...this doesn't sound like Hayate. I mean, sure he just got yelled at after...what he did. But he usually bounces back after something like that happens."

Souji looked at him. "If I may add something, he seemed..._desperate_."

Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean by 'desperate', Souji-kun?" Yukari asked.

"I mean..." Souji looked serious. "...he seemed like he was desperate to make a move on Naoto-kun. As if he was afraid that something might happen if he didn't."

"To hell with that!" Kanji yelled. "That damn bastard needs to pay for what he did!"

Everyone looked at Kanji with sad looks on their faces. Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.

"...As much as I want to agree with Tatsumi..." Shinjiro said. "...I say we sort this thing out and talk some sense into him."

Akihiko stepped forward. "Shinji's right."

Shinjiro looked at him, almost surprised that Akihiko backed him up, after the silent treatment he's been giving him.

Akihiko continued. "Instead of beating the crap out of him, we should first find out _why_ he did what he did, and what he's hiding."

Naoto nodded. "I agree. We should keep looking for him."

"Is there any place Hayate-san might have gone that we haven't checked, yet?" Yosuke asked.

Fuuka sighed. "We checked basically everywhere around Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island. I even checked the Moonlight Bridge not too long ago."

"But it's not like we can find him with our personas...he's neither a shadow, nor does he have a persona of his own!" Rise yelled.

"...Have you checked Gekkoukan High?" Yosuke asked.

Rise looked at him. "Why would we check there?"

"It's just...something's been nagging me all this time." Yosuke had a pained look on his face.

"Oh right, Brosuke told me about this not too long ago." Junpei said. "He thinks that Hayate might accidentally wander into the Labyrinth of Memories."

Everyone gasped.

Fuuka frowned. "But like Rise-chan was saying...why would he wander there? He never went to Gekkoukan..."

Junpei sighed. "I...might have told him something..."

Yukari looked angry. "Stupei! What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him about the Labyrinth!" Junpei yelled. "I just told him that back when I was high school, I used to go up to the rooftop in order to collect my thoughts. Sometimes it would soothe me to just look over all of Iwatodai from there! That's all!"

"So...Hayate-san might have gone to the school's rooftop in order to...collect his thoughts?" Aigis asked.

Chie gasped. "But...that's where...!"

"...The Labyrinth of Memories appears every night..." Yukiko finished Chie's sentence, frowning.

*Ring ring* Akihiko's cell phone began to ring. He looked at the caller I.D: _Mitsuru Kirijo._

"It's Mitsuru." He told everyone and answered his phone.

"Mitsuru?" Akihiko answered.

"I...I'm sorry for calling you so late. I assume that you are all getting ready for another mission?" Mitsuru sounded glum.

Akihiko sighed. "Yeah, but we have another problem on our hands right now."

"...Oh?" Mitsuru sounded like she knew something. "They might be related somehow..." She said to herself.

Akihiko looked confused. "...Excuse me?"

"...The reason I'm calling you is because we have detected that someone broke into the school grounds without authorized permission." Mitsuru said.

"What?" Akihiko yelled.

Mitsuru was quiet for a while, then continued. "We recently found out that this unknown person went to the rooftop, and stayed there. But his signal recently vanished. I'm afraid that he might have wandered into the Labyrinth of Memories..."

Akihiko sighed heavily. "...Thanks for the info, Mitsuru. I'll tell the others." Akihiko hung up his phone.

"Wh-What did Mitsuru-senpai say?" Yukari asked.

Akihiko looked at everyone. "...I think Junpei's right. Hayate might have gone to the school's rooftop."

Once again, everyone gasped.

Akihiko continued. "Mitsuru told me that someone broke into the school grounds without permission."

"Come on, then! We have to hurry, or something bad might happen!" Junpei yelled and ran out the door.

"Junpei, wait!" Yukari and Fuuka ran after him. Soon, most of the others ran out the door as well. As Shinjiro was about to leave, Akihiko stood in front of him.

"...What is it, Aki?" Shinjiro looked at him straight in the eyes.

Akihiko looked sad. "...I wasn't being fair to you...constantly ignoring you and giving you the cold shoulder and all."

Shinjiro's eyes widened, then quickly returned to normal. "...It's no big deal. You had good reason to."

Akihiko shook his head. "No, I didn't. I was mad at you for something that happened two years ago." He looked down. "And when I DO find out what happened during _that_ incident that you feel the need to withhold details about, _then_ I'll decide whether or not to hate you...but until then..." He extended his hand. "How about we return to the way things were...you're my best friend, afterall."

Shinjiro looked at Akihiko. '...I feel like I've been going through this sort of thing a lot, lately...' He reluctantly shook Akihiko's hand, a faint smile appearing on his face in the process.

"Let's get through this together...Shinji." Akihiko punched him in the shoulder, and walked out the door.

Shinjiro winced and rubbed his shoulder. 'Even when he _doesn't_ do that to knock some sense into me, his punches still hurt...' Shinjiro walked out the door as well.

~Gekkoukan rooftop, late evening~

The entrance to the Labyrinth of Memories was right in front of everyone. Hayate was nowhere in sight.

"So then...Hayate-san wandered into here?" Chie asked.

Aigis looked at her. "I think that the most accurate answer, is that he was here when the Labyrinth appeared. He was probably curious, and wandered inside. Because the door closes once someone enters, he's probably trapped on the other side..."

Fuuka summoned Juno, and Rise summoned Kanzeon.

"...!" Fuuka looked shocked. "I'm sensing multiple shadows inside the Labyrinth!"

"What?" Yukari and Junpei both yelled.

"I figured that this would get more complicated." Souji said.

Aigis nodded, then turned towards Shinjiro. "It is now too dangerous for all of us to enter at one time...I think it would be best if we stick to a four-person exploration team from now on..."

Ryoji nodded. "I agree. I have to go with you guys to guide you, so I'll be a fifth person. I can't fight the shadows, after all."

Yukari turned to him. "Why not just turn into that Nyx Avatar again and wipe them all out? Then we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble again."

Ryoji cringed. "...That's not funny, Yukari-chan. Besides...I lost all my power the minute that you all beat me."

"Anyway, we should hurry up and find Hayate-san." Souji said.

Shinjiro nodded. He began looking at everyone. "...Aki, Ken, and..." He looked at the younger generation. "...Shirogane." Naoto nodded and stood next to Shinjiro.

"woof woof!" Koromaru barked.

Shinjiro looked at Koromaru. "...What is it, boy?"

Koromaru began wagging his tail. "bark!"

"Koromaru says that he wants to go, too." Aigis said.

Shinjiro looked at her. "But I already have five people." He looked down at the Shiba Inu. "Sorry, boy..."

However, Koromaru began running around Shinjiro, then stopped in front of him and whimpered.

"I don't see why we can't take him along, too." Ryoji smiled.

Shinjiro sighed. "Fine..."

"Woof!" Koromaru looked happy.

Akihiko smiled, and put on his 'Golden Gloves'. "We'll find Hayate, don't worry."

Ken was holding his spear, ready for battle. Naoto loaded her gun. Shinjiro had his Celtic axe over his shoulder, and along with Ryoji and Koromaru, they all walked into the Labyrinth.

~Labyrinth of Memories~

When the six of them entered, the place looked completely different. It looked like a huge hotel, with many flashing neon lights.

"...Is this a..." Akihiko cringed. "...A l-love hotel?"

"Wh-What is going on?" Ken yelled.

"This place must have changed to match Hayate's true feelings, just like how it did with Junpei." Ryoji said.

Naoto began thinking some things over. "This place...it's just like the TV World, after all..."

Shinjiro looked at her. "TV World...?"

"I'll explain later. First, we must find Hayate-san..." Naoto told him.

With Shinjiro as their leader, they began running down the halls.

"Grrrr..." Koromaru growled.

"What is it, boy?" Shinjiro asked. Just then, some Mayas appeared.

"Shadows!" Ken yelled.

"Be careful!" Fuuka's voice chimed in. "These aren't like the Mayas we fought back in Tartarus! They're stronger!"

"Got it!" Akihiko yelled.

"Fuuka, do an analysis on them!" Shinjiro yelled.

"Right away!" Fuuka yelled. In the meantime, Shinjiro ran towards the Mayas and swung his axe at them. The Mayas blocked the attack.

"Damn, physical attacks are out!" Shinjiro yelled.

Akihiko grabbed his Evoker. "Caesar! Maziodyne!" Caesar summoned Lightning from the Heavens and unleashed it upon the shadows. Once again, they blocked the attack.

"Kala-Nemi! Hamaon!" Ken yelled. Kala-Nemi casted Hamaon upon one of the Mayas. It sent the spell back on Ken. However, Ken managed to block that attack, thanks to his persona.

"Nothing's working on them!" Ken yelled.

"I'm done with the analysis!" Fuuka came in. "It appears that these shadows block Strike, Slash, Pierce, Agi, Bufu, Zio, and Garu skills, and repel Hama and Mudo skills!"

Akihiko's eyes widened. "Then how are we supposed to beat them?"

Naoto grabbed hold of her gun, and a blue tarot card appeared in front of her. "Go, Yamato Takeru!" She shot the gun, and Yamato Takeru appeared behind her. "Megidolaon!" Her persona flew over the Mayas, and unleashed a huge blast of light that completely obliterated the whole area. None of the shadows remained.

"Good job, Naoto-kun!" Fuuka praised her.

Everyone else's eyes widened more.

"Wh-What was that?" Ken asked her.

Naoto re-loaded her gun. "Megidolaon is a move that deals Almighty damage. It bypasses all of the strengths/weaknesses of an enemy. However...it also wears out the user more quickly, and doesn't do a lot of damage."

"That's amazing, Naoto-kun!" Ryoji smiled.

"Woof!" Koromaru agreed with Ryoji.

Shinjiro picked up his axe. "...C'mon, we're wasting time." He took off down the hall.

"Wait up, Shinji!" Akihiko yelled. They all began to run after him. As they headed further into the Labyrinth, the scenery around them got more strange by the minute. More Maya's began to appear, as well. Naoto kept on using Megidolaon to get rid of the enemies, but she was getting worn out.

"You okay, Naoto-san?" Ken asked.

Akihiko stopped running. "...Shinji, maybe we should wait for her to catch her breath."

Naoto shook her head. "I'm fine...let's get going." She stood back up and continued walking.

Shinjiro looked at her, then pulled something out of his pocket. "...Here, eat this." He handed her a weird looking item.

"What is it?" Naoto asked, observing the item in her hands.

"It's a Precious Egg...I found it in a treasure chest on the previous floor." Shinjiro told her. "It'll restore all the energy you lost."

Naoto nodded and swallowed the Precious Egg. In no time, she could feel her energy being restored.

"Thank you, Aragaki-san." Naoto bowed.

Shinjiro looked away from her. "...Yeah."

They managed to find another staircase, and proceed to walk up it. However, when they got to the next floor...

_"...Brother...?"_ A voice called out.

"?" The exploration team got their weapons ready.

"_...Why are you mad at me, brother? Is it because I'm..."_

"Where's that voice coming from?" Ken began looking around.

"That sounds like Hayate-san..." Naoto pointed out.

Akihiko began scanning the area with his eyes. "I don't see anyone. Does this mean we're hearing his thoughts, as a result of him being in this place too?"

Naoto shook her head. "...His shadow probably manifested. What we're hearing...is Hayate-san's true self...his shadow..."

"What?" Akihiko yelled.

Naoto looked at him. "If one enters an area such as this, then their true self develops into a tangible being called a shadow. You're shadow will then manipulate your own feelings, causing you to possibly feel the worst emotional pain you can ever endure."

Ken's eyes widened. "What happens after that?"

Naoto frowned. "...If you don't accept your true self...then your shadow will...kill you."

Akihiko and Ken looked shocked. Ryoji frowned. Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.

"We need to find Hayate-san before that happens." Naoto told them. They all nodded, and proceeded to find the next flight of stairs. They managed to get to the next staircase without anymore shadow attacks. When they went up the staircase, Hayate's voice spoke up again.

_"I feel so alone...I wish that I never existed in the first place...I wish that my life would end...maybe then Brother will be happy..."_

Akihiko frowned. "These are...Hayate's true feelings?"

Ken looked down. "He sounds so depressed...kind of like..." He closed his eyes.

Shinjiro knew what Ken was thinking about. He frowned as well. "...C'mon, we have to find out where Hayate is."

"W-Wait!" Rise's voice yelled.

Naoto looked up. "What is it, Rise-chan?"

"I sense that there's a huge concentration of power on the floor you guys are on!" She told them.

"It must be Hayate's shadow." Ryoji said. "Hayate must be on this floor, too."

"Well then, let's find him!" Akihiko yelled. Shinjiro nodded and they began running down the halls. A few more Mayas appeared, but Naoto quickly defeated them. At the end of one of the halls, there was a door.

"That's where the power is coming from. Hayate-san's shadow must be behind there!" Rise yelled.

"Be ready!" Fuuka's voice came in.

Shinjiro looked back at everyone else. "You ready?"

They all nodded. Koromaru barked. Shinjiro then opened the door, and they all ran inside...

...

...

When they entered the room, Hayate was standing in front of another version of Hayate. The other Hayate had an evil aura around him, and his eyes glowed yellow. He was also bleeding from his chest.

"Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled.

The real Hayate turned around. "N-Naoto-kun..."

"My my my...look at the huge crowd!" Shadow Hayate yelled.

Shinjiro got his axe ready.

Shadow Hayate grinned. "Now even MORE people will be able to hear the truth! How...fabulous!"

Hayate turned to look at his shadow. "Shut up! What the hell are you talking about, anyway?"

"Oh come now..." Shadow Hayate sneered. "Don't you want everyone to know of your _dirty little secret_?"

"Hell no!" Hayate said angrily. "I gave up that part of me years ago!"

Shadow Hayate began laughing. "Are you sure? Cause your obsession with the 'ladies' has grown...almost as if you're..._desperate_!"

"...!" Ken's eyes widened. "Didn't Souji-san say something like that before we left?"

"That's right...!" Naoto said.

"See? Even your buddies are beginning to catch on with you!" Shadow Hayate yelled. "Why don't you tell them! Tell them about how you REALLY are...about how you're...!"

"Pl-Please...! Don't say it...!" Hayate pleaded, clutching his chest.

"What?" Shadow Hayate was enjoying the moment. "Say what? About how you're GAY?"

At that point, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wh-What?" Akihiko yelled.

"...The hell?" Even Shinjiro didn't see that coming.

"..." Ken and Ryoji were too shocked to say anything.

Hayate's eyes filled with tears. "How...how could you?"

"Hayate-san..." Naoto frowned.

"Hahahahaha!" Shadow Hayate laughed maniacally. "You're a fuckin' homo! You don't like that about yourself, so you try and desperately latch onto a girl! So much so, that you even try to have your way with them against their will, just so you can prove to yourself and everyone that you're not gay! How pathetic! No wonder your brother hated you so much!"

Hayate's eyes widened with horror. "Wh-What?"

"Don't go denying it! That's why your brother died, so he wouldn't have to deal with the shame you've put him through!" Shadow Hayate snickered. "You've put him through hell, so he committed _suicide by cop_, it's that simple! I know this cause _I am you_, and there's no point in denying it!"

Hayate looked down, and balled his hands into fists. "...That's not true..."

"What was that...? I didn't hear you!" Shadow Hayate yelled.

Hayate looked up, his face full of anger. "I said that's not true!" He looked at his shadow. "There's..."

Naoto knew what was coming next. "N-No! Don't say it!"

Shinjiro, Akihiko, Ken, and Ryoji looked at her, confused.

Hayate didn't listen to her. _"There's no way in hell that you're me!"_

Right then, the evil aura around Shadow Hayate grew. "Hahahahahahahaha!" And then, Shadow Hayate turned into a huge centaur type creature. He had a sword going through his neck, and carried another sword in one hand, and a shield in the other. Every part of his body was covered in armor with the exception of his neck. The force from the Shadow transforming threw Hayate backwards. He hit his head on the ground and lost consciousness. Shinjiro, Akihiko, Ken, and Naoto stood in front of the shadow, while Ryoji dragged Hayate's unconscious body to safety.

"I am a shadow...the true self...If you think you can beat me, then take your best shot!" Shadow Hayate yelled.

"Grrrr..." Koromaru growled.

"We have to beat you, there's no 'ifs' about it!" Akihiko yelled.

"That's right! We have to win for Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled.

"Hmph..." Shinjiro grabbed his Evoker.

"Then bring it on!" Shadow Hayate sneered.

"Fuuka, analyze the enemy!" Shinjiro yelled.

"I'm on it!" Fuuka yelled back.

Shinjiro looked at Ken. "Focus on healing the team, for now!"

Ken nodded, and stood behind everyone else.

"Let's do this, Caesar!" Akihiko yelled and summoned his persona. "Ziodyne!" Akihiko ran towards Shadow Hayate, and punched at him. Caesar summoned lightning that hit the shadow straight on. Shadow Hayate was unfazed. He hit Caesar with his sword, causing Akihiko to stumble backwards.

"Akihiko-san!" Naoto yelled.

"I'm all right!" Akihiko rubbed his cheek.

Naoto summoned Yamato Takeru. "Tempest Slash!" Her persona flew around the shadow at blinding speed, slashing it in the process. Once again, the shadow didn't falter.

"This is child's play!" The shadow yelled.

"I'm done with the analysis!" Fuuka yelled. "It nullifies Strike, Slash, Pierce, and Hama attacks, and reflects Agi and Mudo attacks!"

"Tch." Shinjiro readied his Evoker. "Norn, Phanta Rei!" He summoned Norn, and it unleashed a massive vortex of wind on the shadow. It seemed to do massive damage, as the shadow winced in pain and staggered.

"When did you get that persona, Shinjiro-san?" Ken asked.

"I decided to visit the Velvet Room earlier today!" Shinjiro yelled. "Let's focus on this battle for now!"

Ken nodded.

"Aroooooo!" Koromaru summoned Cerberus, and it used Masukukaja on the team.

"Thanks Koromaru!" Akihiko yelled. "Caesar, Ziodyne once more!" Caesar unleashed Ziodyne on the shadow. The shadow seemed to be getting weaker.

"Hahahahaha! You fools haven't seen anything yet!" All of a sudden, Shadow Hayate held up his sword, and it began turning a blackish color. It looked warped, and the air around everyone began getting heavy.

"!" Fuuka sensed something. "Everyone, be on your guard! I sense that the next attack is going to be powerful!"

While Shadow Hayate was charging up, Naoto decided to use that time to her advantage. "Megidolaon!" Yamato Takeru used Megidolaon on the shadow. It staggered a bit, but quickly regained its balance.

"Kala-Nemi, Ziodyne!" Ken summoned his persona, which unleashed Ziodyne upon the shadow. It hardly did anything.

"Get ready, you're all about to fall by my hands!" The shadow screamed.

"E-Everyone! Call off your attacks!" Fuuka yelled.

"...Tch." Instead of guarding, however, Shinjiro ran towards the shadow.

"No, Aragaki-senpai!" Fuuka yelled.

"Shinji!" Akihiko yelled at him.

Shinjiro grabbed his Evoker. "Norn, Phanta Rei!" Norn used Phanta Rei on Shadow Hayate, but the shadow dodged it. The shadow then swung his shield at Shinjiro, which caused Shinjiro to drop his Ekoker.

"Here I come!" Shadow Hayate yelled. "Death Seeker!" A huge mass of dark energy came from the shadow's sword and headed towards Shinjiro. Shinjiro didn't have any time to grab his Evoker. He just stared as the attack came straight at him.

"SHINJI!" Akihiko yelled.

"Shinjiro-san!" Ken yelled.

"..." Koromaru ran towards Shinjiro.

"No!" Naoto yelled. "Koromaru!" She tried to stop him, but to no avail.

"DIE!" Shadow Hayate yelled. Shinjiro closed his eyes, ready for the impact of the attack. However, he felt nothing. When Shinjiro opened his eyes, the attack was gone.

"...What the...?" Shinjiro looked confused. It was then that he looked down, and saw Koromaru on the floor in front of him, bleeding profusely from a gaping wound on his side.

"*whimper*" Koromaru began panting.

Shinjiro kneeled next to Koromaru. "Koro-chan!"

"...!" Shadow Hayate began holding his head. "Tch. ANOTHER one decides to ruin my plans! Damn you!"

"Ken!" Akihiko yelled.

"Right!" Ken readied his Evoker. "Kala-Nemi, Samarecarm!" However, when that spell was cast, it did nothing. "Wh-What? Why won't it work?" Ken yelled.

Shadow Hayate snickered. "Death Seeker is a move unlike any other! It's an Almighty move that instantly kills anyone that's not guarding with a weapon! And it bypasses ALL strengths!"

"N-No...Koro-chan!" Ken yelled.

"Koro-chan!" Fuuka's voice yelled.

Koromaru was still lying on the ground, blood continuing to pour out of him. He lifted his head slightly to look up at Shinjiro. "...woof..."

Shinjiro looked at Koromaru, and patted him on the head. "...It's alright, Koro-chan...you did well..." Tears began forming in Shinjiro's eyes, and he smiled.

"woof..." Koromaru yelped, as if to thank Shinjiro for everything. Then...Koromaru put his head back down, and all the life faded from his small body.

"...Koromaru..." Naoto's face saddened.

"Damn it!" Akihiko yelled. "You'll pay for this!" He yelled at the shadow.

Shinjiro stood up then, and his eyes filled with anger. "Damn right he will!"

Akihiko and Shinjiro both ran towards Shadow Hayate.

"Don't you get it yet? Physical attacks are useless against me!"

"Shut up!" Akihiko summoned Caesar. "Marakunda!" Caesar weakened the shadow.

"Wh-What is this?" Shadow Hayate yelled. "I feel...weaker somehow!"

Shinjiro readied his Evoker once more.

- - Persona Change - -

"Satan! Black Viper!" Shinjiro yelled. Satan appeared, and used Black Viper on Shadow Hayate. There was so much power in that one move, that the shadow fell backwards and turned into his human form.

"This...can't be..." And with that, Shadow Hayate was defeated. He just stared blankly into space. By that time, the real Hayate had regained consciousness and walked towards his shadow.

"So...this is what you're reduced to..." Hayate said, a bitter smile forming on his face.

"..." His shadow stared at him.

"I...I may not like it...but..." Hayate bit his lip. "I now know what really happened all those years ago...and I get it...all these years I've been deceiving myself. I'm gay, and nothing will change it..."

"...My brother...hated me for being gay...that's why he ignored me..." Shadow Hayate whimpered. "He got himself killed...so that he wouldn't have to deal with the pain I caused him..."

Hayate shook his head. "That's not true..." He reached out to his shadow. "True, Ryuuto-nii did ignore us once he found out...but he didn't hate us. When he died, his last words were that he _didn't_ hate us for being who we are..."

Shadow Hayate looked up. "Is that...true...?"

Hayate nodded, and smiled. "Yeah...he loved us. And now that I know that...I can live life my way..._our_ way. Cause you're me...and I'm you...and I promise that I will _never_ forget that."

Shadow Hayate nodded, and a pillar of light surround him. It then turned into a warrior wearing a Trojan helmet and carrying a huge sword, with a shield on his back. He was wearing armor that glowed like it was from the heavens. His face was void of any emotions.

_The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest..._

_Hayate has faced his other self..._

_He has obtained the facade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona __**Hector**__!_

Hayate smiled, then fell down, completely drained of energy.

"Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled. They all ran to him.

Hayate looked up. "N-Naoto-san...I'm..." He began to cry. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." He held onto Naoto's arm, his head hanging low. "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, Hayate-san...I now know why you did that...and I forgive you..." Naoto said to him.

Hayate looked at her again, smiled slightly, then closed his eyes. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

"That must have really done a number on him..." Akihiko said, scratching his head. "We should get him outta here before any more shadows come for us."

Ryoji nodded. "I agree...luckily, the door should open since we defeated a powerful shadow."

"Ummm..." Ken spoke up. "Wh-What about Koro-chan...?"

Akihiko looked at Koromaru's lifeless body. "...He's dead..." He bit his lip. "But we can't very well leave him here..."

"I say we have a proper burial for Koromaru...he deserves one after sacrificing his life like that..." Naoto said.

Shinjiro had a pained look on his face as he stared at his fallen companion. "...You protected me from something that would have killed me...If I wasn't so reckless, this would have never happened..."

Akihiko put his hand on Shinjiro's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Shinji..."

Ken looked saddened. "...Koro-chan didn't regret what happened. He's glad that he sacrificed his life in order to save yours...just like how I'm grateful that you saved mine, Shinjiro-san..."

"...!" Shinjiro looked at Ken. He smiled slightly, then picked up Koromaru's body. "...C'mon...everyone's waiting for us..."

* * *

Persona Info:

Name: Hector

User: Hayate Yamamoto

Arcana: Strength

Strengths: Agi (Absorb), Physical (Resist), Mudo (Repel)

Weaknesses: Bufu, Hama

Initial Techniques: Agidyne, Deathbound, Primal Force, Power Charge, Mudo Boost, Mudoon, Invigorate 2, Regenerate 2

History: Hector was the greatest warrior fighting for Troy during the Trojan War. During his final battle against Achilles, Athena turned into his brother in order to delude him, which caused the battle to turn into Achilles's favor. Having a strong will, however, Hector continued to fight, and proceeded to try and pierce Achilles with his sword. Achilles, aware of Hector's weak point at the base of his neck, stabbed Hector before Hector could get close to him. Hector's last words were to ask for an honorable burial for himself. However, Achilles left him there to be eaten by scavengers. Hector then dies, foreseeing that Achilles would die next.

*Sob* Koro-chan... I'm sorry I had to kill you off, it's just that I didn't know how to incorporate you into the story. You were just there taking up space...and I needed some sort of heroic sacrifice...WAAAAAH I'M SO SORRY! *crawls into emo corner*

All that sadness aside, this was my attempt at making the Memory Retrieval missions more interesting. I was kinda avoiding that until I got the hang of describing battle scenes, but...just tell me what you think and what I need to improve on.

And then the big boss fight! What did you think about Hayate's other self? Did it give you any second thoughts about Hayate other than the fact that he was a pervert? I hope so, cause that means I accomplished that part. I plan on going more into detail about Hayate's past with that whole "gay" thing and his brother in the next chapter. :D

I hoped you liked this chapter, and please review! I love all the reviews so far! Special thanks goes to my Sensei, **LadyStarwing**, who gave me the awesome ideas on which persona to give Hayate, and gave me a thumbs up on my "Hayate's true self" scenario! So thank you so much *hugs*! I would also love to thank **SharkOfJade**, who gives me tips on how to improve my story. I hope you liked this one! Let me know what you think! Once again, I hope you liked this chapter, and please review!

PS: I just realized something...I didn't add any dialogue for Teddie in here...oops. ^_^;; Sorry about that...I'm still improving on getting ALL the characters involved. I'll just make up an excuse saying that Teddie couldn't go cause he was sick or something, kinda like how it was in Persona 3. Once again, I apologize for that.

**SharkOfJade: **Yeah, I thought that Naoto was a bit out of character in that scene...I realized that after I posted the chapter. So sorry...it's just that I needed that to happen in order to make sense of Hayate's "true self" that was shown in this chapter. I'll try and improve on characterization. As for the whole Akihiko/Shinjiro dispute...yeah, I'm tired of it, too. I decided to put them on a mutual friendship level like how it was before, until a certain memory pops up. Then expect Akihiko to go berserk when he finds out...not really, but he will still be very pissed off xD. As for Shinjiro's personality...really? Cause some of people that reviewed said that they didn't like the fact that Shinjiro wasn't acting like how he did during those parts of the game. Whenever I tried to improve his personality to make him more interesting, some people complained that he seemed to OOC... And don't worry, I'll improve on Shinjiro's "leading" abilities after this chapter. Koromaru's sacrifice inspired him, let's just say :D


	15. Hayate's Past and a Fond Farewell

Sorry for this late update. I had to finish my History project (and I did! Though I'm not going to expect a good grade on it...). This chapter is going to be sort of a look into Hayate's past. I am very sleep deprived right now, so I'm sorry if this chapter isn't up to par with the others. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

When the exploration team returned from the Labyrinth of Memories, the rest of the Persona users ran up to them with tears in their eyes. They surrounded Shinjiro, who was carrying Koromaru's lifeless body in his arms. And just like that, they had suffered their first casuality...

They then turned their attention to Akihiko, who was carrying the unconscious Hayate. Afraid that he might be injured, they took him to the Tatsumi Port Island Memorial Hospital.

The team also decided to give Koromaru a burial service. They buried him in Naganaki Shrine, right next to "her" headstone. Some of the local strays even came to the service, and howled until it was over, hoping that Koromaru was in a better place.

Yukari and Fuuka were crying, while Junpei was comforting them. Mitsuru even came to the service, since the Kirijo Group set up the funeral.

"I'm sorry for the loss...I-It must be difficult for you all..." Mitsuru frowned. "We're all going to miss Koromaru." She stated to the group.

Once the funeral was over, the only ones left were Shinjiro and Akihiko. Shinjiro was gazing down onto Koromaru's headstone, his face slightly melancholy.

"...You alright, Shinji?" Akihiko asked with a concerned look on his face.

Shinjiro looked up at him for a brief moment, before looking back down. "...Yeah...Koro-chan's with his master, now..."

...

After about three weeks in intensive care, Hayate finally regained consciousness. They decided to pay him a visit later that day...

...

"...So, Hayate-san awakened to his Persona?" Souji asked Shinjiro.

Shinjiro shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so...I don't really know what happened during that fight..."

"The same thing happened to him like it did to us when we were exploring the TV World." Naoto explained. "Hayate-san confronted his own shadow, and when he didn't accept it, his shadow went berserk. It was only after he accepted who he truly was that his shadow turned into a Persona."

Kanji groaned. "So we have to go through this shit all over again? !"

However, Junpei and Yosuke were more interested in something else.

"So...what was his true self?" Yosuke asked, smirking.

"And what does it mean by 'your true self', anyway?" Junpei asked, confused.

Souji turned to him. "Your true self is the self you hide away from the rest of the world, the self you don't want anyone to find out. Didn't you guys have to face your true selves in order to obtain your Persona?"

Akihiko shook his head. "We obtained our Persona by accepting and not fearing death. By not fearing death on the subconscious level, we were able to fight without any fear of what might happen in the future. And that's what these are for..." He reached out and grabbed his Evoker. "By shooting ourselves in the head with these, we accept that we have to put our lives on the line. In doing that, we are also able to summon our Personas."

Chie frowned. "So that's what those things were for...I was wondering why you guys summoned your Personas in such an..._odd_...matter."

"Yeah...suicide is _definitely_ the way to get rid of your fear of death, alright..." Yosuke grinned.

"A-Anyway..." Yukiko started. "What was Hayate-san's true self?"

Shinjiro scratched his head, almost unwilling to say anything. Seeing that, Naoto took over. "Apparently...Hayate-san...has a different preference."

Kanji looked confused. "Huh? What's THAT mean?"

Naoto sighed. "Must I spell everything out for you?" She looked annoyed. "I'm saying that Hayate-san's...gay."

Everyone just stared at her.

"WHAT? !" Yosuke and Junpei both yelled. Even Yukari and Fuuka were a bit shocked.

"...Gay? Does that mean that he's happy?" Teddie asked.

Everyone facepalmed.

"...No, Ted. Just forget it." Yosuke had a pained look on his face.

"B-But...at college, Hayate was obsessed with girls!" Yukari yelled. "How can he be gay?"

Naoto looked at her. "That was just a facade he created so he wouldn't have to deal with being who he truly is. He didn't accept who he is, and so...his Shadow was created."

Fuuka frowned. "Why didn't he tell us? We would have accepted him..."

"...How does one admit that to others, let alone himself...?" Ken asked her.

"I...yes, you're right..." Fuuka said to him, looking down.

Shinjiro looked at his pocketwatch. "We should go see Hayate before visiting hours are over."

Everyone nodded and went to the hospital.

~Tatsumi Port Island Memorial Hospital, Afternoon~

They managed to find Hayate's room. A nurse walked out and saw the group.

"Are you all here to meet with Yamamoto-san?" The nurse asked. The group nodded.

"How's Hayate doing?" Junpei asked.

The nurse had a soft smile on her face. "He's going to be just fine. It appears he's suffering from Acute Deficiency Anemia, and is currently very fatigued. I'm going to ask that you keep your visit brief. He needs his rest."

"We understand." Yukari told her. The nurse nodded and walked off.

Fuuka quietly opened the door, where a very tired looking Hayate was lying in the hospital bed, an IV needle in his arm.

"H-Hayate-kun?" Fuuka said quietly. Hayate looked over to the door and was surprised to see all of them there. He tried his best to sit up from the bed, but he was struggling.

"You don't have to sit up, you can lie down." Yukari said, putting a hand on Hayate's shoulder.

Hayate looked depressed. "...Why are all you here?"

"We came to see you, man!" Junpei smiled at him.

"..." Hayate looked out the window.

"Umm...are you alright?" Fuuka asked.

"Do I look alright? I'm in a damn hospital bed with an IV needle inside me!" Hayate yelled. "Why did you all save me? I wanted to die, I wanted to forget that this part of me that makes me sick would just go away forever!"

Kanji looked at him, with sadness in his eyes. He knew that what he was going through was confusing.

Shinjiro looked at Hayate. "Being gay isn't a damn disease! It's not like you can cure it!"

Hayate gripped onto his chest. "It feels like a disease...me being gay is the reason why my brother had to die!"

Everyone was silent.

"...You said that your brother..." Junpei frowned.

"Yeah, I told you that he died in a car crash. Truth is, he was killed! And the person that killed him was initially going to kill me!" Hayate began to cry. "It's all my fault..."

Junpei looked at him, right in the eyes. "...Tell us the truth. What happened on that day?"

Hayate remained silent. Junpei was getting impatient. He grabbed hold of Hayate's hospital gown.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us what the hell happened, damn it!" Junpei yelled, causing Hayate to wince.

"Stop it Junpei!" Yukari yelled back.

Shinjiro grabbed hold of Junpei's arm. "Violence isn't going to solve anything, and it won't help if you force the answers outta him."

Hayate's eyes closed slightly, as he looked at Junpei. "I..."

"Tch. Fine...if you want to bear your 'burden' by yourself, so be it..." Junpei let him go. "Just don't come to me if you have problems..." Junpei was heading for the door.

"...Junpei..." Fuuka looked worried.

Shinjiro looked at Hayate. "You sure you want to go through this alone? You have people that care about you, and you're willing to just shoot down their offer to help?" He looked pained.

"...Wait." Hayate finally said. Junpei looked over his shoulder. "...I...I'll tell you everything..."

Junpei smirked. "Glad to hear it..."

Everyone gathered around Hayate's bedside.

"I'll start from the beginning..." Hayate told them. "My family consisted of my mom, dad, Ryuuto-nii, and me...we lived in Kyoto. When I was eight and my brother was eleven, our house burned down...our mom and dad died in the fire. Me and my brother were able to make it out in time..."

"...That's..." The younger generation couldn't find the right words.

Akihiko winced at that. '...Miki...'

Shinjiro noticed Akihiko's discomfort, but decided not to say anything. He re-focused his attention on Hayate's story.

Hayate continued. "Ryuuto-nii took care of me, telling me that 'everything was going to be fine, as long as your big brother is with you'. I believed in those words from that day on. When I turned fourteen, my brother and I moved to Nagoya to start a new life. Everyone kept making fun of me because I had no parents. I enrolled into junior high school there as a third year, and Ryuuto-nii enrolled into high school as a second year."

"Were you made fun of there as well?" Yukiko asked.

Hayate shook his head. "Not as much as when I lived in Kyoto...the kids there were nicer to me, so it was fine."

"That's good..." Fuuka told him.

Hayate smiled sadly. "Yeah...I even made a friend there...his name was Riku Honda...we soon became best friends..."

"Why do you look so sad when you say that, Hayate?" Yukari asked.

Hayate smiled slightly in Yukari's direction, his face somewhat sad.

Shinjiro looked at Hayate. 'I can already tell where _that_ story's going...' Shinjiro glanced at Souji and he could tell that they were both thinking the same thing.

"Anyway..." Hayate continued. "Me and Riku would do everything together. It was like we were joined at the hip. My brother even praised me, saying that I had finally made a friend. I was so happy...but then..."

"...?" Everyone with the exception of Shinjiro and Souji looked confused.

"...when we entered high school as 1st years...Riku confessed to me that he was gay..."

Yukari and Fuuka frowned.

"I get it now..." Junpei mumbled under his breath.

Hayate smiled. "He told me that he loved me...I didn't even know what love was at the time. I thought that love was only between a girl and a boy...at least, that's what Ryuuto-nii told me..." He began fiddling with his thumbs. "He then leaned in and kissed me...and without even knowing it, I kissed him back..."

Most of the guys in the room were beginning to feel uncomfortable. Kanji especially.

Hayate continued on. "...I then realized that it didn't matter who you fell in love with. Even if it was with someone of the same gender...as long as you cared for them and had genuine feelings for them...that was what love was." He looked over to where the guys were sitting. "Oh, I'm sorry...this must be a bit uncomfortable for you all..."

Before the guys could answer, Chie cut in.

"They feel just fine!" She glared at them.

Hayate laughed a bit. "...One day, my brother came home with a girl. She was very nice...she had light brown hair that went to her waist, and had the 'perfect curves' as how my brother put it. He told me 'you need to get yourself a girlfriend. I don't want to be the brother who has to live with the person who doesn't get into a relationship for all his life'...and then...I decided to start a 'conversation' with him..." Hayate looked up at the ceiling, reminiscing on said events that took place. The others listened intently to his story...

_"Ryuuto-nii...what does it mean to be gay?" I asked._

_Ryuuto looked at me with a weird look on his face. "...You mean homos? They're the people who decide to hook up with someone the same gender as them. You know...a guy and a guy, or a girl and another girl. They're freaks, if you ask me."_

_I was a little afraid to tell him the information I found out regarding Riku...but I told my brother everything..._

_"...Why did you want to know?" He asked me._

_I looked at him. "Umm...cause my best friend, Riku..." I hesitated. "...Told me that he was gay..."_

_Ryuuto looked upset. "...I see. Well, then I guess that's alright..."_

_"But...he also told me that he loved me..." I told him._

_That made Ryuuto angry. "What? You didn't say anything, did you?"_

_I winced. "N-no...but he kissed me..." I touched my lips._

_"..." Ryuuto headed for the door._

_"Wait, Nii-san! Where are you going?" I yelled._

_Ryuuto looked back at me. "To give that friend of yours a piece of my mind!"_

_I held Ryuuto back. "But, Nii-san! I kissed him back!" _

_That stopped him in his tracks. "Wh-What did you say?"_

_"I said that I kissed him back...I accepted his feelings..."_

_"Why would you do that? People like him...!"_

_"What do you mean people like 'him'? He's the only one that genuinely loves me! None of the girls even like me, let alone love me!" I yelled at my brother, something that I have never done before. Ryuuto looked hurt._

_"..." Ryuuto walked down the hall. "...You...you're not normal...don't talk to me...__**ever**__..."_

_I began to cry. "...Nii-san..."_

...

Junpei looked down at the ground. Yukari and Fuuka looked sad as well.

"How can your brother say that?" Junpei asked. "Just cause you felt that way, doesn't mean that you're not normal!"

Hayate smiled sadly. "Well...he obviously didn't think of it that way..."

"I think he just wanted to protect you, Hayate-san..." Yukiko told him. Hayate smiled at her statement.

"Why would he tell him that he's not normal, then?" Junpei yelled.

"..." Yukiko couldn't come up with a counterargument.

"...So how did that all turn out?" Souji asked.

Hayate looked at him. "Nii-san ignored me for the longest time...the only time he even faced me was to walk me home from school, since our schools were pretty much right next to each other. However...one particular day was one that I'll never forget..."

_I got out from school, and Ryuuto-nii was waiting for me by the front gate. _

_"Uh...Hi, Nii-san..." I greeted him._

_"..." Ryuuto didn't say anything. We both walked home in silence. Then, as we were walking...someone from Ryuuto's school ran in front of us. He was holding a knife in one hand._

_"I finally caught up to you, Ryuuto!" The young man yelled._

_"...You." Ryuuto pulled his hands out of his pockets. "...What do you want?"_

_The young man looked insane. "I...I wasn't able to convince you to love me when we were in junior high...but now I can't take it anymore! I'm going to make you love me, even if you don't want to!" He stepped in closer, the knife firmly in hand. _

_'Wh-What...?" I was confused. 'What the hell was going on...?'_

_Ryuuto bit his lip. "Don't come near me...I don't like you, nor will I ever like you. Now get out of our way."_

_The man laughed. "NO! I won't take no for an answer! I want you, Ryuuto...!" He held his knife in front of him. "And if you don't give in to me, I'll just have to kill your little brother, instead!"_

_"..." Ryuuto seemed unfazed by this._

_I looked at Ryuuto. '...Did he not care that my life was on the line? Did he not care of anyone else but himself?' I balled my hands into fists._

_"...My answer is still NO. I don't plan on giving in to you anytime soon." Ryuuto said. I could have sworn I saw the faintest of smiles forming across his face._

_"Hahahaha! Then prepare to die, little boy!" The man charged at me. _

_'...My life is about to end...' I thought. '...Fine. If I die, then Big Brother will be happy...and I'll be happy too...' I closed my eyes..._

_..._

_I felt nothing. I opened my eyes to see what happened. What I saw would change my life forever: Ryuuto was standing in between me and the attacker, and knife piercing through his chest. Ryuuto began coughing up blood._

_"Ahhh...Awaaaaah!" The man screamed maniacally before running off, pulling the knife from my brother's chest. Ryuuto collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. I kneeled beside him._

_"Nii-san!" I yelled. I took off my shirt and plugged his wound, at an attempt to stop the bleeding. It didn't work. The blood continued to pour out of him. I held his head up._

_"Nii-san...please don't die! I'll be all alone if you die!" I began crying._

_Ryuuto looked up at me, his eyes looking glossy. "...You shouldn't cry, Hayate..."_

_I began crying more. "...You finally talked to me...after all this time you ignored me...and now that you're dying, that's when you decide to talk to me...?"_

_Ryuuto chuckled. Some blood dripped from his mouth. "Heh...ironic, huh? I...I'm sorry that it had to be like this...but...I don't think I'm going to make it..."_

_"No...Nii-san, you can't die!" I pleaded._

_Ryuuto reached out his hand to wipe off the tears coming from my eyes. "Don't cry, Hayate..." He smiled. "...And...I didn't hate you...I never hated you...how could I? You're my one of a kind little brother..." And with that, his hand drooped to his side, and his body became heavy in my arms._

_"...Ryuuto!" I yelled. I couldn't take it anymore...I tried to hold back my tears, cradling my brother's body in my arms..._

_..._

Hayate smiled, a tear falling from his face. "...And that's what really happened..."

Everyone couldn't even think of a word to say. They just sat around, looking apologetic.

"...I'm sorry..." Fuuka said.

Hayate looked at her. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about...it was my past, and my problems that caused it."

"But..." Fuuka was about to say something else, before Yukari stopped her.

"...What happened after that?" Naoto asked him.

"Well...the person that killed my brother is currently spending the rest of his life in prison..." Hayate told them. "...And I broke up with Riku...both as a boyfriend and as a best friend..."

"What? Why?" Yosuke yelled.

Hayate looked down. "...At the time, I thought that my brother being killed was my fault...because of the fact that I was gay. I thought that he used that man trying to kill me as an excuse to kill himself...for that reason, I wanted to change who I was..."

"...How did Riku-san feel about that?" Chie asked.

"He was sad, but he said that he understood why...so we avoided each other at school. Out of respect to him, I also decided to leave Nagoya and move back to Kyoto when I finished my 1st year of high school...I haven't seen him since..." Hayate told them.

"That must have been hard..." Yosuke frowned.

"Heh...yeah, it was...but...I knew that Riku could handle it...he had a strong spirit. He even sent me an email right before I graduated high school saying that he was doing well and that he hopes I got good grades so that I could get into a good college. I did, of course...top in my class." Hayate said proudly.

"That's good- -" Before Junpei could finish his sentence, the nurse walked in.

"Visiting hours are going to end in five minutes...please wrap up your visit." The nurse said. She placed a tray in front of Hayate. It had a glass of water and some iron pills in a small container on it.

"Make sure you take your medicine." The nurse told him. Hayate nodded.

"Umm...when will Hayate be released?" Yukari asked.

The nurse looked at her. "If he continues to take his medicine, then he could be out of here in two days." She smiled, then left the room.

"Two days! That's great, isn't it Hayate?" Junpei grinned.

Hayate smiled weakly. "Yeah...I suppose it is..."

"Hey, Senpai!" Junpei looked at Shinjiro. "Now that Hayate has a Persona, can he help us? He'd make a great addition to the team!"

Shinjiro thought it through. "...If he doesn't mind, then I have no objections."

Junpei then looked at Hayate.

"...I'll help you." Hayate said. "I want to make up for all the trouble I caused."

Junpei's eyes lit up. "YES! Hayate's now officially part of the team!"

"We should leave now..." Akihiko told everyone. "Hayate needs to take his medicine."

Everyone nodded and headed out the door.

"See ya in two days, Hayate!" Junpei yelled, and closed the door behind him.

"...Two days, huh..." Hayate said to himself. "I have to make it up to them...otherwise this power I obtained will be for nothing...I don't want to be a burden to anyone anymore..." He took his medicine and closed his eyes. '...Riku...'

...

Back in the hallway...

The receptionist stopped the gang from heading out.

"I've seen your faces a lot around here, lately...I hope you guys aren't doing anything that would intentionally cause you to get injured..." The lady said, worried.

"Oh, n-no, we just have bad luck, is all!" Ken told her.

"Is that so...?" She then looked over everyone, then stopped her eyes at Akihiko and Shinjiro. "Hmm...oh, I saw you guys back here two years ago, didn't I? You went to visit this girl here..."

Akihiko and Shinjiro both frowned.

"...Yeah, we did..." Akihiko smiled sadly.

"I thought I recognized your faces!" The receptionist said. "...Oh, and about that...one of your friends lied to the nurse back then."

Everyone looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked.

The receptionist began looking through some files.

"What I mean is..." She began. "...your friend...I believe she is part of the Kirijo Group? Well, she told us that that girl you used to visit didn't have any living relatives..."

Right then, everyone looked astonished.

"You mean...!" Fuuka began.

"Right...we have evidence to believe that that girl...Minako Arisato, has a twin brother, and that he's alive...though no one knows where he is right now..." She sighed. "I guess you can't blame that Kirijo girl...we can't seem to find ANY information on Arisato-san's brother at all..."

"No way..." Yukari was shocked.

"Are you shittin' me?" Junpei looked more shocked.

Akihiko and Shinjiro didn't say anything.

"Thank you for telling us this..." Fuuka told the lady.

The receptionist smiled. "Sure...I just thought it was right to tell you."

The team thanked the receptionist and walked out of the hospital. Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Ken left before everyone else.

Yukari pulled out her phone, and began dialing a number.

"Who are you calling, Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked.

"I'm calling Nanjo-san...I want him to see if he can find any information regarding Minako's brother..."

"But...didn't the receptionist say that they couldn't find anything?" Fuuka asked.

"Yeah, but Nanjo-san told me that he was a master at finding information, so I'll see if he can find anything." Yukari explained. Just then, someone picked up the phone on the other line.

_"Hello? This is Kei Nanjo speaking."_

"Hello, Nanjo-san? This is Yukari Takeba...the one you gave your number to? I'm friends with Mitsuru-senpai?"

_"Ah...right, what is it that you need?"_

"I need you to find some info regarding the 'deceased' Minako Arisato? We have found out recently that she may have a twin brother who's alive and living somewhere...but we don't know what he looks like, where he lives, or even what his name is...can you see if you can find anything?"

_"I'll see what I can do. I'll call you when I find something..." _

"Thank you!" And with that, they both hung up.

"Now all we have to do is to wait for Nanjo-san to call us!" Yukari told everyone.

"I hope he finds something..." Junpei said. "...Hey...I just noticed this, but Ryoji wasn't with us today..."

Yosuke looked at Junpei. "Oh, right. He told us that he was tired and was going to sleep today...we couldn't even get him out of bed."

Junpei began laughing. "That doesn't sound like Ryoji, but then again...who am I to talk?" The rest of the team began to leave.

As the team began heading out, Souji looked at Rise.

"...You haven't said anything or latched onto me this whole day...is something wrong?" Souji asked her.

Rise looked up at him. "Awww, are you worried about me, Senpai?" She giggled, her voice sounded melancholy.

Souji scratched his head. "I wouldn't say that...but..."

Rise nodded. "It's okay, I understand what you meant...the truth is...I got a phone call from Inoue-san earlier today..."

Souji raised an eyebrow at that familiar-sounding name. "You mean that manager that tried to get you to become Risette again?"

Rise nodded. "Well...I called him stating that I'm ready to become a pop idol again...but as 'Rise', not 'Risette'. I'm tired of hiding who I really am." Rise looked up. "And so...tomorrow I'm leaving Inaba...leaving Iwatodai...for Nagoya, to do a photo shoot for the upcoming album I'm going to perform."

Souji's eyes widened. "Really? That's great! ...But, didn't your manager already sign a contract with that other girl...what's her name?"

Rise smiled. "Yeah...but she said that she wanted to perform with me sometime...so we plan on doing a duet concert for the upcoming album. A lot of the fans can't wait, apparently."

Souji smiled sadly. "So...you're leaving tomorrow, then?"

Rise nodded once again. "Yep...but you can visit me anytime you want, Senpai!" She hugged him, then kissed him on the cheek. "Besides...I wouldn't want to get in the middle of your little 'crush'..." She giggled.

Souji blushed. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

Rise giggled again. "Nothing, Senpai!" She looked at her watch. "Oh, shoot! I have to get going to finish packing! I'll see you later, Senpai! Make sure you call me sometime! And tell the others I said bye, too!"

"I will..." Souji said, and hugged her back.

Rise smiled. "Bye!" And with that, she ran off.

Souji sighed, then caught up with the others.

"What was that about, Senpai?" Kanji asked.

Souji looked at him. "...Rise-chan's leaving in order to become a pop idol again...she won't be helping us anymore."

"WHAT?" The younger generation yelled in unison.

Souji smiled. "Don't worry...she'll be fine. And we will, too..."

* * *

Ok, I want to ask if you feel sorry for Hayate (which was my objective), but your mileage may vary, I suppose...

And guess who's going to appear soon? ;D

Ok, now to answer a few questions you might have for me:

1. I deliberately made Hayate's past similar to Akihiko and Shinjiro's pasts, as well as what happened on Oct. 4 (for the most part). Let's just call it a plot twist (I love plot twists!).

2. The reason why I'm taking out Rise is cause 1) I didn't see the point in there being two analyzers for the group, and 2) because I realized that after you max out her social link in P4, on the last day you're in Inaba she tells you that she plans on becoming a pop idol again, but not as Risette. So I had to go along with what happened in P4.

3. I'm willing to bet that you all can guess who Minako's twin brother is going to be...and if you don't know, then I won't spoil it for you.

Thank you, **Lady Starwing**-sensei, for telling me about Rise's social link events (since I didn't max out her social link in P4).

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me! Hope you liked this chapter as well!

**SharkofJade**: I know, I feel terrible about killing off Koro! But...gah I need a moment *sob*. And maybe I'll do something with the whole Souji using Cerberus thing in a later chapter...possibly even the next memory retrieval chapter :D

And the reason why I decided to limit the exploration team to four (five counting Ryoji), is cause I'm having trouble getting everyone a chance to talk without making them sound like retards saying something when it matters... Thank you for reading and giving me tips, I really appreciate it!

**Xoraan**: NO NOT THE PITCHFORK! *hides*

And I'm sorry that Hayate creeped you out...I hope you'll grow to like him! (...or not) ^_^

**Lady Starwing**: Yup, poor Koro-chan! *sob*

And Shinjiro might not be as bent out of shape as long as one would think...I kind of did a time skip of a few weeks, so... ^_^;;

**MikiDaCat**: About Koro-chan coming back to life...you'll just have to read to find out. Don't want to spoil anything for you! :3

I'm sorry that everyone stared at you, was it awkward? ...But I'm glad you like my story!

**Gaia-ninja**: Really? Thank you so much! I have a lot of trouble juggling characters...especially when it comes to them saying something...so I'm glad you like it! ^0^


	16. A Fateful Encounter

Finally, I got this chapter done. I am so sorry for such a late update. I've been having a serious case of writer's block, so I've been drawing in the mean time in the hopes of making me think of stuff to write for this chapter. I also had to do a bit of research on Persona 2, because I've never played those games (well, I've played about an hour of Eternal Punishment, but that doesn't really count). If some of the facts don't add up, then by all means tell me. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I based most of these Persona 2 events off of Eternal Punishment, not Innocent Sin (those two games, I believe, took place in two different universes, and I wasn't sure which one was the correct one, so...yeah, I got confused).

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

Two days have passed, and Hayate was ready to be released from the hospital. The team go to the hospital to celebrate his release.

"Nice, man! You're finally outta that place!" Junpei yelled, putting his arm around Hayate's shoulder.

Hayate smiled slightly. "It's good to be out...though I still feel a little weak." He looked at everyone, his eyes stopping at Shinjiro. "So...I said that I would help you guys out...can you explain to me what's going on and what it is I'm putting my life on the line for?"

Shinjiro scratched his head. "I think it'd be easier if you see for yourself at midnight. We'll explain more to you then." Shinjiro said, looking at him.

A faint blush appeared on Hayate's face. "A-Alright."

"Now that that's settled..." But before Akihiko could finish his statement, Yukari's phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered.

_"Is this Takeba-san?"_ The voice asked.

"Uh, yeah. Who is this?" She asked back.

_"This is Kei Nanjo. I found some information regarding the thing you called me about." _

"Oh! What did you find out?"

_"Not a lot, mind you...however...I did find out where he's currently living..." _

"Don't worry, any information is fine! Where is he?" Yukari asked.

_"I couldn't find his exact whereabouts, but he's currently living..."_ His voice sounded slightly nostalgic. _"...In Sumaru City."_

"Sumaru City? Alright, thank you so much!" Yukari cheerfully said.

_"I'm sorry I couldn't find out more...I'll look more into the matter."_ And with that, Kei hung up. Yukari hung up as well.

"Well? Who was that?" Junpei asked.

Yukari looked at him. "Nanjo-san. He found out the whereabouts of Minako's brother."

"...!" Everyone looked shocked. The younger generation looked more confused.

"Whoa, whoa hold up..." Yosuke began. "Arisato-san has a brother?"

Yukari nodded. "Apparently. C'mon, we have to find him right away. Maybe he can help us!"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Umm...Yukari-chan, we don't even know if he has a Persona..." Fuuka said uneasily.

Yukari shrugged. "So...? He can still give us information, right?"

"I guess..." But before Fuuka could finish, Yukari cut it.

"Then it's settled."

Yukari pulled Junpei and Fuuka along with her.

"H-hey, Yukari-chan! Where are we going?" Fuuka asked.

"To Port Island Station, where else? We need to find her brother, and the only way to do that is to go to Sumaru City!" Yukari said impatiently.

"Wh-What about the others?" Fuuka said, struggling to get herself free from Yukari's grip.

"They can follow of course!"

Junpei snickered. "I think that Yuka-tan just wants to see if this twin brother of Mina-tan is good looking or not!"

Yukari gave him a death glare. Junpei sighed and allowed himself to be dragged away.

...

Everyone was speechless.

"Yukari seems to be in a hurry, huh?" Akihiko said, scratching his head.

"Yukari-chan usually doesn't act like that, unless she's very dedicated towards something." Hayate stated. "Acted the same way when she saw a cute looking guy at the end of the hall of one of the school buildings. Nearly bulldozed all the other students just to talk to him." He chuckled.

Kanji looked worried. "She sounds more desperate than dedicated..."

Hayate looked at him. "Yeah...but enough about her. We should catch up to them."

Everyone else agreed, and they all ran after Yukari, Junpei, and Fuuka, in order to catch the train to Sumaru City.

...

...

~Sumaru City Station, Afternoon~

_"Welcome to Sumaru City. We hope that you have a wonderful stay!"_ The announcement said.

The team looked around. There were many tall buildings that towered above the city.

"Wow...this place is so huge!" Chie said in awe.

"I've never seen so many incredibly tall buildings before...not in Inaba, anyway." Yukiko agreed.

"This place feels...strange...somehow." Ryoji said, eyebrow raised.

Souji looked at him. "Strange? How?"

Ryoji was thinking. "It feels like...something terrible took place here...sometime in the past."

Junpei's eyes widened. "I wonder what...?"

While they were discussing Sumaru City, Yukari pulled out her phone and dialed Kei Nanjo's number.

_"Nanjo speaking."_ The voice answered.

"Nanjo-san, it's Yukari." Yukari answered back. "Have you found anything regarding his appearance, or even a name?"

After a brief pause, Kei answered. _"I did some more information gathering since our last chat. I have found that this boy has blue hair, and gray eyes...his right eye is hidden beneath his bangs. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a name."_

Yukari frowned. "Alright...thank you so much for the information!"

_"Just call me if you require any further assistance."_ And with that, they both hung up.

"So...what'd he say?" Junpei asked.

Yukari looked at the others. "He told us that he has blue hair and gray eyes, with bangs covering up his right eye. But he couldn't find a name for us..."

Shinjiro grunted. "That's enough for us to go on...let's just find him a get this over with..."

Everyone nodded, and they split up to look to gather information. They searched each and every building, gathering clues...with not much luck.

Junpei and Fuuka came across a poster on a wall.

_"Gas Chamber Concert! Reserve your tickets NOW!"_ Junpei read aloud. "Hey, this dude in the front has blue hair!"

Fuuka giggled. "But he doesn't have bangs over his right eye..."

Junpei smiled awkwardly. "Haha I guess you're right...besides, this guy looks like a weirdo...no way would Mina-tan have that type of person as a brother!"

They left the poster and began searching again...

Meanwhile, Akihiko, Ken, and Shinjiro came across a shrine. They saw a young woman looking at the shrine and approached her.

"Excuse me?" Akihiko said. The woman turned to look at him. "Have you seen a young man with blue hair and gray eyes? One of his eyes should be covered with bangs?"

The woman began thinking. "I don't think so...but if you're looking for someone, you should try the Kuzunoha Detective Agency."

Ken's eyebrow raised. "Where's that?"

"It's in Aoba...a little ways down from here." The woman pointed in the direction to go in.

"Alright, thanks for the help!" Akihiko smiled. "C'mon, let's go."

...

~Kuzonoha Detective Agency~

"Let me call the others to meet us here." Akihiko said and reached for his phone. Shinjiro nodded and he and Ken walked into the building.

The place was enormous, with many people answering phone calls and running around with papers. Shinjiro and Ken walked down the hall, until they came across a large door.

"Let's go." Shinjiro grabbed the handle.

"Do you know where this door leads, Shinjiro-san?" Ken asked.

Shinjiro remained silent. He just opened the door, and they both walked in. Right next to the entrance was this large mechanical cat. It was meowing and asking for money. Shinjiro and Ken walked right past it to see a young man sitting at the desk.

"Oh, hello...did you need something?" The young man asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"Um...we were-" Ken began, before Shinjiro took over.

"...Looking for someone, and was hoping to find some more info on him."

The man stood up. "That's up my alley. Do you have any physical characteristics of the person?"

"He's around 19, has blue hair and gray eyes, and one of his eyes is covered by bangs." Shinjiro told him.

The man went to his file cabinet. While they were waiting, Akihiko and the others came into the room.

"There you two are. Did you find anything?" Akihiko asked.

Shinjiro pointed to the man. "He's looking."

Akihiko nodded.

Meanwhile, Chie, Yukiko, and Fuuka were gawking at the big mechanical cat.

"Meow~Feed Me~Meow" the cat chanted.

"Oooh...it's so cute!" Yukiko smiled. "Go ahead, feed it, Chie!"

"Whaaa? Why me?" Chie asked. "What do you even feed it?"

Fuuka was observing the cat. "I think you're supposed to feed it coins..."

Yukiko looked at Chie. "Come on Chie, just a few coins!"

Chie sighed in defeat. "Yeesh, you have money, can't you feed it?" Chie proceeded to put some coins inside the cat.

"Meow!" The cat yelped.

"..."

"..."

"...That's it? I wasted 1000 yen on this?" Chie yelled.

"Pffft...Ahahahaha!" Yukiko burst out laughing. "You're so funny, Chie!"

Chie looked angry. "Well, I'm glad I made you happy, cause you owe me 1000 yen!"

"Hey, will you two be quiet over there?" Yosuke said, annoyed.

"But this thing stole my money!" Chie yelled at him.

"That's your own fault! What made you think that you were going to get your money back?" Yosuke yelled back.

They kept going back and forth.

"Hehehe...those two seem to fight an awful lot..." Ryoji smiled.

"Yup...they're in looooove." Teddie smirked.

"We are NOT in love!" Yosuke and Chie both yelled in unison.

"...You managed to hear their comments out of all that yelling?" Junpei asked, a creepy grin appearing across his face.

"Will you all just be quiet for once?" Yukari yelled in their direction. Her demonic looking face shut all of them up.

The man finally found the file he was looking for. "Ah...are you talking about Minato Arisato-san?"

Everyone's faces lit up at the word 'Arisato'.

"Y-Yes!" Yukari told him.

The man nodded. "He currently lives in Sumaru City...He works part-time as a teacher's assistant at Seven Sisters High School."

"Seven Sisters High School?" Akihiko asked.

The man nodded. "It's a pretty prestigious school. There was an incident that happened there some time ago...but that information is confidential."

"We understand. We'll be on our way, then." Yukari bowed.

"Here's a map of Sumaru City, in case you get lost." The man handed her a map.

"Ah...thank you so much." Yukari said. And with that, everyone left his office.

"Now all we have to do is go to Seven Sisters High and find this 'Minato Arisato'. Piece of cake." Junpei grinned.

Everyone nodded, and headed back to Sumaru City, to their next destination: Seven Sisters High School.

~Seven Sisters High School~

"Wow...this place is huge!" Junpei stared in awe. "Why couldn't Gekkoukan be this big?"

"Still think it would be easy?" Naoto commented. "I suggest we split up."

Souji agreed. "Yeah, that would be the best bet. We'll cover more ground that way."

"...Why not we just ask someone where we can find Arisato-san?" Ken asked.

"Do YOU see any teachers or students around here? I think class is still in session." Souji told him.

"Alright, we'll split into groups then: Hayate, Aki, Ken, and I will search the first floor. Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei will search the second floor. Shirogane, Tatsumi, and Hanamura will search the third floor. And Satonaka, Amagi, and Seta will search the courtyard. Any objections?" Shinjiro asked.

"Wait, what will Teddie and I do?" Ryoji asked.

Shinjiro looked at them. "Stay put. I don't want you two to cause any more trouble. Better yet..." He turned to look at Akihiko. "Aki, you make sure they don't get into trouble."

Akihiko nodded. "...Alright."

"Awwww..." Ryoji sulked.

"Alright, let's go."

Everyone (with the exception of Ryoji, Teddie, and Akihiko) split off into different directions to search the school.

...

~Chie, Yukiko, and Souji~

The courtyard was as huge as the school. In the middle was a lone stone pillar.

"Wow...this pillar is so huge!" Chie and Yukiko both said in unison.

Souji rolled his eyes. "What is it with you two and huge things?"

"Well sorry...it's just that we've never seen these types of things in Inaba!" Chie yelled in defense.

Yukiko was still processing the information. "Huge...things...?" All of a sudden, Yukiko ran up to Souji and slapped him across the face.

"Gah! What the hell was that for?" Souji yelled, rubbing his face.

"Huh? Oh...sorry...you meant the stone pillar..." Yukiko blushed.

Souji's eyes widened. "What did you think I meant?"

"Oh nothing..." Yukiko looked down. "Just forget it..."

"...This feels like déjà vu..." Chie said, laughing awkwardly.

"Anywaaay...there isn't anyone around the courtyard. Not even a gardener or janitor." Souji told them.

The three of them sighed, hoping that the others were having more luck.

...

~Shinjiro, Hayate, and Ken~

On the first floor, Shinjiro, Hayate, and Ken were walking down the halls.

"Umm...won't the staff and students find it weird that we're walking through their halls? We don't even go to this school..." Ken told them.

"Well...we could always wait for classes to be excused for break..." Hayate said. "But until then, I don't know..."

Shinjiro glanced down each hallway. "There's nothing we can do until break starts, I guess..."

...

The three of them were nonchalantly standing against the wall.

"So...Shinjiro-san? What is it that you guys are searching for?" Hayate asked. "And who are we trying to save?"

Shinjiro sighed. "You just couldn't wait till midnight came around, huh?"

Hayate shook his head. "Sorry, but I have to know what I'm getting myself into...if you don't mind."

"..." Shinjiro looked at him. "Two years ago, a girl prevented the destruction of mankind. If it wasn't for her, this evil being known as Nyx would have killed us all."

Hayate's eyes widened. "I think I remember something like that happening, now that you mention it..."

Shinjiro grunted. "However, in order to save us, that girl sacrificed her life to become a seal...to prevent the malice in everyone's hearts from reaching Nyx."

"However..." Ken cut in. "We have just found out fairly recently...about 2 months ago...that the seal is no longer needed, and that she can be released. We are now working together in order to bring her memories back to her before she is released from the seal."

"Alright...but why do you need to gather her memories?" Hayate asked.

Shinjiro closed his eyes. "Because if we don't...she won't remember _anything_. From everything she's done, to any of us."

Hayate frowned. "Ah, I see...so you guys want her to remember all of you, and the things she's done."

Shinjiro bit his lip. "...I was the only one against it, but everyone else wanted her to remember, so I couldn't exactly refuse..."

"Why didn't you want her to remember?" Hayate asked, confused. "Because the way you talk about her...it sounds like you're in love with her."

"...!" Shinjiro began to blush. "...If she did get her memories back, then she'd remember all the bad stuff that happened, too...I can't bear to see her in that much pain ever again..."

"But, Shinjiro-san..." Ken looked up at him. "You of all people should know...that Minako-san was a much stronger person than that. If anyone can get over something, she can."

Hayate smiled. "Ha...she sounds like a strong girl..." He blushed a little. "So...you _did_ love her then, Shinjiro-san?"

Shinjiro glared at him.

"Haha..." Hayate chuckled. "Cause if you didn't...I was wondering if you were interested in- -"

"Don't even think about it." Shinjiro said with a menacing tone. Hayate's shoulders slumped, while Ken was laughing under his breath.

...

~Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei~

On the second floor, the trio was taking a break in the hallway.

"How is it that the three of us always end up in the same group?" Junpei frowned.

"Never mind that...how big is this place, anyway?" Yukari groaned. "We've been searching this place forever!"

Fuuka looked at a clock on the wall. "Ummm...it's only been 10 minutes."

"What the hell...?" Yukari looked surprised. "How is it that only 10 minutes passed?"

Junpei looked at her. "Well, this place IS like a maze...we were probably wandering around in circles before stopping for a break."

Yukari looked angry. "Then does that mean that we were just wasting time? We have to find this Minato guy so he can help us save Minako!"

"Why the hell are you so obsessed with finding him?" Junpei yelled. "We don't even know if he'll cooperate with us!"

Yukari glared at him. "Why wouldn't he? He's Minako's brother!"

"That doesn't mean he'll help us! What if they were on bad terms or something? Mina-tan never even mentioned that she had a brother!" Junpei argued. "And you haven't answered my question. Why are you obsessed with finding this guy?"

Yukari calmed down, but she still looked angry. "I feel like...nevermind." She frowned. "I don't know how to explain it...but it seems like it's..." A small smile appeared on her lips. "...fate..." She whispered.

"...Huh?" Junpei didn't hear the last part.

Yukari shook her head. "...Nothing."

Fuuka looked just as confused. But she also looked worried. "Uh...guys? You shouldn't yell that loudly when in the hallways...class is still in session- -"

"Hey, who're you kids?" Someone yelled. "Class is in session, and you guys don't look like you're around here!"

The three of them turned their heads to see a really angry looking janitor walking towards them.

"Oh...! Uh, sorry about that, we'll be on our way...!" But before Junpei could finish his sentence, the janitor grabbed his jacket.

"Oh no you're not, you three are coming with me!" And with that, the janitor pulled the three of them up the stairs.

...

~Naoto, Kanji, and Yosuke~

On the third floor, Naoto, Kanji, and Yosuke were walking down each hallway.

"Gah, what's with this place? It's like a maze!" Kanji stated. "How the hell are we supposed to find this Minato guy anyway?"

"Let's just keep walking down the halls and see if we find anything." Naoto told them. "Class is still in session, so that means that he should be in one of the classrooms...if he is indeed a teacher's aide."

"Well, why don't we talk a little while we're searching." Yosuke smirked. "So...Naoto-kun...I hear you're in love with Souji."

"Whaaaa?" Kanji was taken aback by the sudden outburst.

Naoto on the other hand...

"...I don't know what you are talking about, Yosuke-senpai. We are merely friends." Naoto told him.

"Suuuure, whatever you say." Yosuke winked at her.

Naoto rolled her eyes, but she smiled slightly at his comment.

As they turned down another hallway, a lone door was waiting for them at the end. It read 'Principal's Office'.

"Now this is the place we should have been looking for!" Kanji smiled. "The principal should know where that guy is!"

Naoto and Yosuke both nodded, and Naoto knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice replied on the other side of the door.

Naoto slowly opened the door, and a middle aged woman was there to greet them.

"Well, hello there." The woman greeted them. "My name is Saeko Smith...I am the principal of this school. How may I help you?" She smiled.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." Naoto said. "My name is Naoto Shirogane. I am a detective, and I was looking for someone who may be a use to me...his name is Minato Arisato, and I have evidence to believe that he currently works here as a teacher's aide. Is this information correct?"

'Wow...Naoto-kun goes straight to the point.' Yosuke thought.

Ms. Smith began thinking. "Why yes...there is someone by that name who works here. I believe he's doing so to earn some college credits. Now...what room was he in again?" She began looking through some files. "By the way...you are fairly young for a detective...are you that prodigy that everyone keeps talking about?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call myself a 'prodigy'..." Naoto began. "But my grandfather was a very well-known detective. He was the one who took care of me since I was little, so I learned all about being a detective from him."

Ms. Smith chuckled. "I see...you said that your grandfather took care of you since you were little? What about your parents...?"

Naoto frowned. "Well, you see- -"

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a janitor walked in pulling Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka along with him.

"I caught these three suspiciously hanging around on the second floor. They appear to not be from this town."

"Please! Have mercy on us!" Junpei yelled.

"Quiet, Stupei!" Yukari whispered angrily.

Naoto stepped forward. "These three mean no harm...they are my friends."

The janitor looked at her. "...Who the hell are you, pipsqueak?"

"Hey, don't call Naoto-kun a pipsqueak, jackass!" Kanji yelled.

"What did you call me?" The janitor looked angry.

Ms. Smith intervened. "It's alright, there's no need for this to continue. If these three are friends with Shirogane-san, then it's completely fine. You may leave now, Mr. Yamada."

"...Hmph." Mr. Yamada grunted, and left the office.

"Did you three find anything?" Yukari asked.

They nodded. "Ms. Smith is currently searching for the information as we speak."

"Hello, I am the principal of this school, nice to meet you." Ms. Smith smiled at Yukari, Junpei, and Fuuka.

"Nice to meet you, too." Fuuka bowed.

"Now...what were you saying about your parents, Shirogane-san?" Ms. Smith asked.

Naoto looked surprised. "Oh...! Right, well...my grandfather has been taking care of me, because my parents died in a car accident."

This information took Yukari, Junpei, and Fuuka by surprise.

"I never knew that, Naoto-kun..." Fuuka frowned.

"It's about twelve years since they died. I prefer to live in the future, instead of dwelling on the past." Naoto told them.

Ms. Smith nodded. "I can understand that...ah. Here we are. Minato-san works in room 2-A, on the second floor."

Naoto bowed. "Thank you...and it's been a pleasure talking with you."

Ms. Smith smiled. "I had fun, too. Come by anytime."

Naoto nodded, and the gang left the office. They began walking down the stairs to the second floor.

"...Naoto-kun...you said that you're parents died in a car accident twelve years ago...is that...true?" Yukari asked hesitantly.

Naoto looked confused. "Yes...they died in 1999...I was only around three at the time."

Yukari looked at her. "Did you have...any siblings?"

"Yes...but they were both with our parents during the car accident, so I assumed they were killed as well...why?" Naoto asked back.

"Oh...i-it's nothing..." Yukari began walking at a faster pace, until she was in front of 2-A.

"Hey, Yukari-chan, wait for us!" Fuuka yelled, frantically trying to keep up. The rest of the gang ran to catch up as well.

"Kanji-kun, Yosuke-kun...can you get the others?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, uh...sure." Kanji said, and him and Yosuke ran to find the stairs.

"Alright...here we go..." And Yukari opened the door.

...

~Room 2-A~

When the opened the door, a bunch of students were studying. They looked up, staring at the unknown people who just walked in the room.

'This is awkward..." Junpei smiled awkwardly.

"Yes? May I help you?" The teacher asked Yukari, who was the first one in the room.

"Is there a...M-Minato Arisato-san here, b-by any chance?" Yukari asked.

"Hmm? Ah, right...hey, Arisato!" The teacher yelled towards the back of the room. "Some kids here to see you!"

Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka, and Naoto looked where the teacher was yelling, to see a young man sleeping in one of the desks. He slowly opened his eyes and rose his head, yawning slightly.

"Is there anything you do besides sleep? I'm beginning to get skeptical about how you said that you get the top grades in your classes at college."

The young man walked up to the front of the room, and rose his head. Yukari and the gang were a little shocked. He looked nothing like Minako, that was for sure...but he did look a lot like...

Junpei and Fuuka looked at Minato, then at Naoto, and then back at Minato.

"Wow...you two look a lot alike!" Junpei smiled.

"Huh? I guess..." Minato said sleepily.

"Um...can we talk to you in private...if you don't mind?" Yukari asked.

"..." Minato nodded and walked out of the room, the others following suit.

...

"Uh...we were wondering...if you had a twin sister, by any chance?" Fuuka asked.

"...!" Minato looked more focused all of a sudden. "...Minako."

"So she _is _your sister!" Yukari looked happy.

Minato looked sad. "...She's no longer alive, though."

"We already knew that, but that's why we tried to find you!" Junpei told him. "We found a way to bring her back, and we need your help!"

Minato looked shocked. "...There's no way to bring someone back...it's impossible."

"Well...she didn't actually die, per se...how should I put this..." Yukari began.

...

After about fifteen minutes of explaining...

Minato scratched his head. "...So...that's what happened. Makes sense...There was always something about her that made me think that she would end of saving humanity..."

"...?" Junpei wasn't following what Minato was saying.

"Do you have something called a Persona, Minato-san?" Naoto asked him.

"..." Minato nodded. "I have the Persona known as Orpheus Telos."

"And how do you summon it?" Fuuka asked. "Do you need some sort of weapon?"

Minato shook his head. "I just...summon it. I can't really explain how I summon it. I just call out its name, or call out an attack, and it suddenly appears..."

Yukari seemed relieved. "Well, that sounds easy enough. At least we don't have to call up Mitsuru-senpai and ask for another Evoker..."

"So are you willing to help us, Minato?" Junpei asked.

"...If it's for my sister's sake...then I'll gladly help." Minato said. However, he looked uneasy. He also kept taking quick glances at Naoto.

"Minato? What's wrong?" Yukari asked.

"...Nothing. So, where are we headed?" Minato asked.

"Tatsumi Port Island. We'll explain everything to you along the way." Fuuka told him.

"You'll love it there! There's plenty of stores, nice scenery...hot chicks..." Before Junpei could finish, Yukari stepped on his foot.

"OWWW!"

Yukari angrily trudged down the hallway to the first floor. Fuuka giggled slightly and helped Junpei walked down the stairs.

"So...Minato-san..." Naoto began. Minato however, took the initiative and swiftly removed Naoto's hat.

"Hey...!" Naoto yelled.

Minato kept staring at her. The way her hair looked, her eyes...

"...You look just like her...our little sister..."

"Huh?" Naoto asked, confused.

"..." Minato said nothing. He gave Naoto back her hat and walked down the stairs, leaving a surprised Naoto behind.

All of a sudden, a sudden realization overcame Naoto.

'...Nii-san...?'

Minato looked back at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. Naoto shook her head slightly, and walked down the stairs to catch up to everyone else...

* * *

Yup, just me adding yet some more plot twists. I should stop, or else I'll end up having too much stuff to explain...

I couldn't remember what the name of the city that the Kuzunoha Detective Agency was located it, so if it's not located in Aoba, please don't hesitate to tell me

And I know that the guy with the giant cat in his office was some old, semi-fat man...but I assumed that he would have retired by Persona 4 came along, so...yeah.

Oh...and I know that Naoto's parents were detectives and were killed during one of their cases. I didn't really explain it very well in the chapter, but I meant something along the lines that her parents were investigating the whole thing with the Kirijo Group trying to control shadows, which in turn caused the Dark Hour. I then decided to have them killed in a car accident while on their way to investigate it further. Since they didn't have the potential, of course, they were transmogrified during the whole event.

I hoped you liked this chapter!

I would love to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story so far, it means a lot to me!

**SharkOfJade: **Yeah, I didn't like it how in Persona 3 would be depressed over an issue for about a month. I wanted to keep it short and sweet haha.

You really liked Hayate's character? Awesome! I've never really made my own OC before, so I was afraid at how he might turn out. Thank you for the comments and the tips, they really help a lot!


	17. Memories of September 7th

Wooooo...for starters, I'm terribly sorry for not updating in such a long time. I had the worst writers block you have no idea D;

Oh yeah, and then somewhere along the way, I got addicted to Hetalia, so I've been drawing nonstop Hetalia fanart and began writing some Hetalia fanfiction. I'm trying to make this story my first priority, however, so I hope to update at a quicker pace (and hopefully I'm recovering from my writers block as well).

I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the others...it took me FOREVER to figure out how to write it, and for that I'm sorry.

I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters

* * *

It was almost midnight, and the team just arrived back at Tatsumi Port Island. Minato was gazing blankly at his surroundings.

"It's been a while since I was here...not since Minako's funeral..." Minato said with nostalgia in his words.

Everyone looked at him. "I don't remember seeing you at her funeral?" Yukari said.

Minato looked at her. "I kept to the back of the occasion...I also left fairly early."

"I...I see." Yukari replied. An awkward silence came upon the group. Minato proceeded to put on a pair of headphones, and turned on his mp3 player.

"Minato is nothing like Mina-tan..." Junpei whispered to Akihiko. "She was energetic and cheerful...but he's quiet and reserved."

Akihiko smiled. "Well, there is something they both have in common. They love listening to music."

"Umm, Minato-kun, I was wondering how you got your Persona." Fuuka said. "I mean, did you have to face your 'other self' as well?"

By now, all eyes were on Minato as he gradually removed his headphones. He looked at Fuuka.

"No. I gained my Persona after going through a near-death experience." Minato explained.

"A near-death experience?" Yosuke asked, eyes wide. "What the hell happened?"

"Does it have anything to do with the car incident that killed your parents in 1999?" Akihiko blurted out.

Everyone else gasped. It did make sense, afterall. It was amazing that both Minako _and _Minato had survived such a devastating accident.

Minato smiled sadly. "Let's just say that after Minako died...I felt that I had no reason to live."

Everyone around him was stunned. Ken in particular, was both shocked, and sad.

Minato continued. "My sister and I, as little kids, did everything together. We were twins, afterall. Joined at the hip almost. Even after our little sister came along..." His eyes quickly looked towards Naoto, and back to normal. "...we were still inseparable." He closed his eyes. "When I heard the news that she had died...something within me died as well. At first, I was against going to her funeral. But then I decided that I would regret it if I didn't say my final farewell to her."

"If you don't mind me asking..." Yukari cut in. "...Did you...attempt suicide?"

"Yukari..." Fuuka whispered by her side.

"..." Shinjiro continued to stare at Minato, awaiting his answer.

Minato smiled sadly. "Not intentionally...I was surrounded by a local gang back in Sumaru City. They wanted some money or something, I suppose..." He frowned. "Anyway, they had guns and were going to kill me. I didn't do anything to stop them...in fact, I closed my eyes and just stood there calmly, awaiting for that feeling of euphoria to come over me. But...after a few minutes, I opened my eyes, wondering why I was still alive. When I opened them...this being in red armor was in front of me, and the gang was collapsed on the floor, unconscious. I had no idea what just happened, but then the being turned to me." Minato looked at everyone, expecting them to have lost interest. But instead, they were still listening, so he continued on. "He said to me, _'Thou art I...and I am thou...from the sea of thy soul, I cometh...I am Orpheus, master of strings..._"'

Yukari's eyes widened. "Hey...that's what Minako's initial persona said to her when it awakened as well! Her initial persona was _Orpheus_!"

Minato nodded. "I figured as much. Although her persona and my persona are slightly different from each other."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but it's almost midnight." Aigis reported.

"...Midnight?" Minato questioned.

Akihiko looked at him. "You'll soon get your answer."

Before Minato could ask what that meant, the Labyrinth of Memories emerged out of nowhere, right in front of them.

"...And this is where my sister's memories are being kept?" Minato asked.

Akihiko nodded.

"...I see." Just as Minato said that, the doors to the labyrinth opened. Minato began walking towards it.

Junpei grabbed hold of his arm. "Hold it. Shinjiro-senpai is our leader. He calls the shots."

Minato looked back at the rest of the team. Shinjiro stepped forward.

"We have four people in our battle team to avoid unnecessary injuries. This doesn't include Ryoji..." Shinjiro pointed to Ryoji, who smiled at Minato. "...since he's our guide through the labyrinth."

"I know almost everything there is regarding our way through the labyrinth, so I have to be part of the team. It was Minako's wish for me to join them." Ryoji said proudly.

Minato looked uninterested. "...Is that so..."

"Alright, Shinji...who's on your team?" Akihiko asked.

Shinjiro looked at all of the members. "Minato, Takeba, and Hayate."

The three of them made their way to the door.

"Hold up, Minato and Hayate don't have any weapons." Yosuke said.

"...I have a weapon." Minato spoke up. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a one-handed sword. "I've had one with me this whole time."

Hayate smiled. "And I managed to find a weapon shop while in Sumaru City and found my weapon of choice." He held up two fairly large hoops with a sharp blade on the outside of both of them. There was a cross-shaped handle within the hoops to firmly grasp each one.

Junpei looked confused. "What are those?"

"They're called 'chakrams'. You're supposed to throw them at the enemy, but they can also be used for close combat fighting, as well." Hayate explained.

"Wow, those look awesome!" Yosuke yelled.

"If you guys are finished, can we please go into the labyrinth now?" Yukari said in an annoyed tone. She began walking towards the entrance.

Minato walked towards the entrance as well, with Shinjiro and Hayate soon afterward. With all four of them, and Ryoji, ready, they then entered the Labyrinth of Memories.

...

~Labyrinth of Memories~

The door closed behind them once again.

Minato and Hayate were both looking around, examining their surroundings.

"So this is what the Labyrinth of Memories looks like." Hayate said in awe.

Minato's face looked indifferent. "So where are we supposed to go?"

"Well, this IS a labyrinth. Just wander around until you find a staircase, and keep going up until you get to a wide room with a series of doors. I'll explain more once we get there." Ryoji told them.

"Right. Let's go." Shinjiro told them. And they set off into the labyrinth.

...

The team had reached the 48th floor without much trouble. The shadows they had come across so far were fairly weak, and most of the tougher shadows had elemental weaknesses.

_"Your destination is located on the 50th floor!" _Fuuka's voice yelled.

"I found the stairs!" Yukari shouted. "What's the plan?"

"Let's proceed." Shinjiro stated.

_"Got it, I'm transferring you guys to the same location." _Fuuka's voice said.

When they reached the 50th floor, however, something felt...off.

"Is it just me, or does this floor feel more...ominous...than the previous ones?" Hayate asked.

Minato was looking around. "We should stay on this floor too long, we should find the stairs as quickly as possible."

Shinjiro nodded. "Let's split up."

The team agreed and they each went their separate ways.

...

After about ten minutes of no shadow attacks, something did in fact feel off.

'We've been wandering around this floor for about ten minutes, and not once did a shadow attack us.' Shinjiro stopped to observe his surroundings.

"Maybe the shadows are weaker than you?" Ryoji stated. "Sometimes the shadows will get scared of beings that are stronger than they are. Then again, these shadows are MUCH stronger than they used to be, so maybe I'm wrong..."

Just then, Fuuka's voice came up. She sounded shaken.

_"G-guys...! I sense Death!" _She shouted. _"You have to find the stairs, and hurry!_

"Shit!" Shinjiro began running. "Can't you teleport us out of here?"

_"I've tried, and for some reason this floor won't allow me to teleport you! You'll have to find the stairs!" _

"Dammit...alright, tell everyone to regroup!" Shinjiro yelled.

_"I-I'm on it!" _Fuuka's voice got louder. _"Everyone, please regroup! I sense Death!"_

The moment Fuuka's message reached everyone, Hayate responded.

_"Wh-What the hell IS this thing?" _He yelled.

"...!" Shinjiro picked up speed. "Hayate! Don't fight it, try and avoid battling it until we've regrouped!"

_"A-Alright!" _Hayate's voice said in a frantic tone. He was also breathing heavily, from the sound of it.

Shinjiro turned the corner and began hearing the sound of chains rattling and gunfire. It was still faint, but could hear it getting louder and louder as he proceeded.

"I'm almost at your location, just don't get injured." Shinjiro told him.

Hayate's voice could be heard loud and clear. _"Easy for you to say! This THING has two big ass guns and is shooting me on both sides!"_

As Shinjiro got to another corridor, he ran into Yukari.

"Shinjiro-senpai!" Yukari looked scared. "I heard Fuuka say that she sensed Death! Where're the others?"

"I don't know where Minato is, but Hayate ran into Death and is currently trying to avoid combat." Shinjiro looked down the hall. "We should hurry and find him."

Yukari nodded and they both began running once again. The chains got louder, and when they turned yet another corner, they came face to face with the 'thing' Hayate mentioned earlier.

"It's the Reaper!" Ryoji yelled. As they continued running, they noticed Hayate on the other side of the Reaper, running down the hall.

"Hayate-kun!" Yukari yelled.

Hayate looked over his shoulders. "Yukari, Ryoji-san, Shinjiro-san!"

The Reaper roared, and fired another shot at Hayate, the bullet grazing his left shoulder."

"Gah!" Hayate kept running down the long hallway, with Shinjiro and Yukari passing up the Reaper and were now next to Hayate. Just then, Minato's voice came up.

_"I found the stairs." _Minato stated calmly.

"Tch." Shinjiro grunted. "Fuuka, give us Minato's location!"

_"Minato is in a room that you guys are going to approach right...now! To your right!" _Fuuka yelled.

Sure enough, when the three of them turned their heads they saw Minato sitting at the base of the steps, looking as calm as a person could be. Shinjiro, Hayate, and Yukari ran into the stairway.

"You look so calm, Minato." Hayate stated, out of breath.

Minato shrugged. "I found the stairs awhile ago, actually."

Hayate looked angry. "You _what_?"

He walked up to Minato and grabbed hold of his jacket collar. "What the hell is wrong with you? We could have been killed!" His glare intensified. "If you would have spoken up sooner, Fuuka could have teleported us here!"

"I wanted to see how you guys would fare in combat, I suppose." Minato stated calmly. "You guys are safe now, anyway." He pointed behind Hayate. The team turned around and saw that the Reaper had disappeared.

"Where did it go?" Yukari asked.

"The Reaper won't go near stairways, I'm assuming." Minato told her.

Shinjiro began walking towards the stairs. "Whatever. Can we just get to the next floor? I'd rather get out of here as soon as we can before that thing returns." He turned to Minato. "I'll deal with you later."

The team walked up the stairs, and once again made it to a room filled with doors.

Ryoji began observing all the doors, until he came to the only one with a name engraved on it. It read 'Memories of September 7th', followed by 'Shinjiro Aragaki'.

Shinjiro stood in front of the door and put his hand on the door knob. "Everyone ready?"

Yukari nodded, while Hayate and Minato stood there blankly, not knowing what was going to happen. Shinjiro then opened the door...

...

_**Memories of September 7th...**_

_Minako had just arrived back to the dorm__. _

_"Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai are still at the hospital with Chidori." Fuuka explained. "We won't be able to go to Tartarus this evening."_

_Minako nodded. "Thanks, Fuuka!" She walked over to the dining area. 'Guess there's nothing much to do...' She then caught sight of Shinjiro, who was standing next to the dining table, staring at the floor. _

_She stared at him. '...I feel...like there's a wall between him and I. Maybe I should get to know him better...?' She walked up to Shinjiro._

_Shinjiro looked up. "...Yeah? You want something?"_

_Minako smiled. "Want to get a bite to eat?"_

_"...What, with me?" Shinjiro continued to look at her. _

_Minako nodded, still smiling._

_"Okay...I don't know any fancy places, though." Shinjiro told her._

_"That's fine, Senpai." Minako chuckled. "Shall we get going, then?"_

_Shinjiro nodded and they both made their way to the door._

_"Shinjiro-senpai and I are going to get something to eat!" Minako told Fuuka. _

_Fuuka looked up from her laptop. "Alright, just make sure to be back before midnight!"_

_Minako nodded and she and Shinjiro walked out of the dorm._

_Shinjiro took her to Hagakure, where they sat down and ordered two Specials._

_"Sorry for bringing you here. I don't know that many places to go out to eat." Shinjiro told her. _

_Minako smiled at him. "I like this place."_

_Shinjiro smirked. "...You're an odd one." He laughed a little.__ "Well, let's eat. Watch the soup, it's hot." He gently blew on the soup, then put the spoon in his mouth. He flinched a little. "Ow..."_

_Minako looked up from her bowl. "'Ow'?"_

_"...Forgot I had a cut in my mouth." He had a pained look on his face. "It's cause Aki punched me. Sheesh, that guy's gotta learn how frickin' heavy a boxing champ punches..."_

_"Were you two fighting?" Minako asked, concerned._

_"Well...yeah." Shinjiro replied. Minako felt that Shinjiro seemed to feel a bit awkward. "...I gave him a little 'lecture' on how his fighting style's too reckless, and this is what I got in return." He smiled. "Well, we get in fights all the time. Just get used to it."_

_Minako nodded, but still looked concerned. "Alright."_

_"Yeah, thanks." Shinjiro looked slightly embarrassed and laughed. He stared at Minako. "But man, you're actually younger than him...?" He continued to stare. "...We're lucky that you're such a reliable leader."_

_The way his voice sounded, it felt that he was mocking Minako. But she could sense that he was being serious. She felt that she understood Shinjiro a little better now..._

_"...? !"_

_Thou art I...and I am Thou..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating_

_Personas of the Moon Arcana..._

_When Minako came back to her senses, Shinjiro was still trying to eat his ramen._

_"Oww..." Shinjiro winced. "...That reminds me...I cut the inside of my mouth the first time he punched me, too. I couldn't eat for a while because of that." He smiled._

_"When did that happen?" Minako asked._

_"...We were kids. I forget why." Shinjiro laughed nostalgically. "This just ain't gonna work...I'll have to wait until it cools down..." He sighed._

_Minako and Shinjiro ate their meal, and then returned to the dorm._

_..._

_**Memories of September 7th, End...**_

Everyone regained their composure.

"Wh-What was that that just happened?" Hayate asked. "It felt like we weren't in the Labyrinth of Memories anymore..."

Ryoji looked at him. "This place is like a file cabinet. Behind each door is a memory very dear to Minako, memories that hold a special place in her heart. Most of these memories will correspond to her relationship with Shinjiro, since the relationship they had was 'special'."

Shinjiro looked away from the group, deciding to stare at the ground instead.

"..." Minato looked in Shinjiro's direction, but decided to say nothing.

"Well, I'm glad that there wasn't a boss shadow at the end of this memory...I think we've already had our share for the day." Yukari sighed with relief. "Still...I'm surprised at how quickly you two got along, Shinjiro-senpai. You seemed to be the type of person who tried to keep people away from them."

"..." Shinjiro's eyes saddened.

"...For as long as I've known her, Minako has always had a way of getting past the 'walls' people put up between them and society." Minato explained, his eyes closed. "She always ended up making friends with people who wanted none. She just had that special...charm." He chuckled.

Shinjiro looked at the group. "Well...let's get out here. We'll save the next mission for tomorrow."

_"I'll teleport you to the entrance now..." _Fuuka told them.

...

They were teleported to the entrance of the Labyrinth of Memories; the doors were open. When they walked out, the rest of the team was there to greet them.

"So which memory did you guys witness this time?" Akihiko asked.

"It was when Minako and Shinjiro hung out for the first time at Hagakure." Yukari told him.

"..." Minato remained silent, but Hayate noticed that his face twisted in anger for a split second, before returning to normal.

"I see...looks like we're beginning to get into the more 'precious' memories that Mina-tan held, don't you think?" Junpei commented.

"I agree." Aigis said. "To be honest, I feel that it won't be long until we retrieve all of her memories. If we go at this pace, we'll be able to save her before the year is up."

"As long as nothing bad happens, we'll make the deadline!" Teddie cheered.

The whole team groaned.

"You probably jinxed something, damn bear." Kanji grimaced.

"In any case, we should get some rest for tomorrow." Naoto said.

"Oooh! How bout tomorrow, we have a GIRLS day out?" Chie suggested. "You guys already had your fun, but I think us girls deserve some fun, too."

"Girls day out, huh..." Ryoji smiled. "Can I come along?"

"I'll join you guys as well!" Junpei smirked.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you two..." Akihiko frowned.

"No! Girls day out means GIRLS ONLY!" Chie said in disgust. "You agree, right Yukiko?"

Yukiko nodded. "I think a girls day out will do us some good."

"Yeah...I like the sound of that." Yukari said in agreement.

"Me too." Fuuka smiled.

"What about you, Naoto-kun?" Chie asked Naoto.

"I don't think that'd be - " Naoto began, but Yukari cut her off.

"Of course you should come along, Naoto-kun. You're a girl too, you know!" Yukari smiled at her.

Naoto fixed her hat. "...Well, if you insist."

And with that, the rest of the team left the school grounds. That is, except for two people.

"You okay, Seta?" Shinjiro asked. "You haven't said anything since we got here."

Souji looked at him. His face looked somewhat serious, as if he'd been thinking something through for a while.

"There's just something...off...about Minato. Something about him makes me not want to trust him." Souji commented.

Shinjiro looked at him for a brief moment, before turning away. "...I know. I felt something similar when we were in the Labyrinth of Memories. But until the time comes for us to confront him about it, I think it'd be best if we keep this to ourselves."

Souji nodded in agreement, and they both left to catch up with the group.

* * *

Yup, I brought the Reaper back *shudder*. To tell you the truth, Not once have I ever encountered the Reaper in the games. The closest I had to ever encountering him was when playing through "The Answer" and having Fuuka's "I sense Death!" message come up. Luckily, I was next to the stairs at that point, so I went to the next floor before I heard the chains.

Next chapter is going to be a girls day out! Naoto seems to be having the most fun, first she went along for the Guys Day Out, now for the Girls as well? Damn xD

So...I have a question for all of you: Where should the girls visit on their Girls Day Out? I already had the guys go to Paulownia Mall, so where should the girls go? I was thinking either the Iwatodai Strip Mall, or possibly even Yakushima, but if you have any better suggestions, please let me know. Please put your answer in a review, or send me a PM.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope to update soon!


	18. Memories of Celebration

_Woooo...look who decided to update this story. Wow, it's been a YEAR already since I updated this?! I'm so so so so so sorry! I promise everyone, I will NOT give up on this story, no matter how long it takes me to update it. I care about this story way too much to give up on it. I even got the main plot memorized! The hard part for me though is coming up with what happens in between...like this chapter, for example. _

_I decided to make this chapter longer than the rest of them, and combined the Girls Day Out sequence and another Memory Retrieval arc into one chapter, as a way of saying sorry to all you awesome readers. _

_I have gotten so many wonderful reviews, even after all this time, asking me to please update soon, and how this story is one of their favorite Persona fics...guys, I really can't thank you enough. It's because of kind words from you that I have the strength to carry on this story. So once again, thank you so much!  
_

_Well, I don't want to keep you waiting, so here's the long awaited next chapter! I hope you like it!  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters.  
_

* * *

~?~

"Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Chie screamed as she was running back and forth between her room and the living room. "I was the one who came up with the idea, and I'd be embarrassed if WE were the ones that ended up late!"

Naoto walked into the room while putting her hat on. "Nothing good ever comes out of panicking. Calm down, Chie-senpai."

Ignoring Naoto, Chie ran to the bathroom.

"Ahhh! Chie, what are doing?!" Someone screamed from the bathroom.

"You have time to fix your hair later!" Chie yelled, pushing Yukiko out of the bathroom with a headband in her hand. "We only have five minutes to get there!"

Naoto cleared her throat. "Where exactly are we going?"

Chie looked at Naoto. "Yukari-san suggested the Iwatodai strip mall. I thought it was a good idea because I want to try the Hagakure Bowl."

"Always thinking with your stomach." Yukiko chuckled.

"Alright alright, enough making fun of me, let's go already!" Chie said as she pushed Yukiko and Naoto out the door.

...

~Iwatodai Strip Mall~

Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto managed to get there just in time, and were now waiting for the other girls to meet them. They only had to wait a few minutes before Yukari, Fuuka, and Aigis arrived.

"I hope you guys weren't waiting long?" Yukari asked. Chie shook her head.

"Nope, we only got here a few minutes before you guys. So, what should we do first?"

Fuuka looked around. "Well, the second floor is mainly restaurants, but the first floor has clothing and accessories stores, and a book store."

"I think I want to check out the book store." Naoto said.

Yukari nodded. "Alright, I'll check out one of the clothing stores. I think one of them has the cutest dresses!"

"I'll go with you, Yukari-san." Yukiko said, and followed Yukari to the store.

"Where do you plan to go, Aigis?" Fuuka asked her. Aigis looked at her.

"Shopping doesn't really do much for me. Though I am interested in the accessories."

Fuuka smiled. "Alright, I'll take you to one of the accessory shops. Would you like to come along, Chie-chan?"

"Sure!" Chie said excitedly, and followed them to the store.

...

"Ahhh that was fun!" Yukari said while coming out of yet another store with five bags in her hand. Yukiko came out with her with a bag of her own.

"I agree, I didn't think they would have anything I would like, to be honest." She commented.

They met Fuuka, Aigis, and Chie at a bench, and sat with them. The whole top of the bench was covered with small bags.

"Look Yukiko! I got some new sweatbands!" Chie shouted, waving a bag around.

"Did you buy anything, Aigis?" Yukari asked.

Aigis shook her head. "Buying things such as accessories won't benefit me, considering what I am made up of. Though, I did enjoy window-shopping."

"So the only one who isn't back yet then is Naoto...she said she was going to the bookstore, wasn't she?" Yukiko looked around.

"C'mon, let's go look for her. It's almost lunch time so we should head to Hagakure before it gets too crowded." Yukari suggested. Everyone else agreed with her and headed over to the bookstore.

...

"Have you found anything you are interested in, dear?"

Naoto brought her head up from the book she was reading to see an old woman talking to her. "Not yet...but it seems like you have a wide variety of books and novels. Do you have any Detective books, by any chance?"

The old woman pointed towards a bookshelf closest to the cash register. "That shelf contains all Detective, Mystery, and Supernatural-related books. Please take your time." She smiled.

"Thank you." Naoto headed over to the shelf and began to browse. One book in particular caught her eye.

'Nocturne...' Naoto flipped the book over to read the synopsis. _'The story of a teenage boy who survives the apocalypse, but turns into a demon as a result. He then has to go on a journey to find his friends, while at the same time preventing demons from taking over. Will he help recreate the world from how it once was, or will he give birth to a new world with the guidance of Reason?_' She flipped through the first few pages. 'Interesting...'

She walked over to the old lady. "I'd like to purchase this book, please." She handed the old lady exact change in yen.

The lady smiled. "Have a nice day, dear."

Naoto thanked the old lady, and walked out of the bookstore.

"Naoto-kun!"

She turned around to see Chie waving at her from a table. Yukari, Yukiko, Fuuka, and Aigis were there as well. She walked over to the table.

"What did you buy, Naoto-kun?" Yukari asked.

Naoto set the book on the table. "Just a book...it seemed interesting, so I thought I'd read it to pass the time." She looked at the other bags strewn on the table. "...How much money did you all spend, exactly?"

Yukiko chuckled. "It's actually been a long time since I went out shopping for fun like this...I couldn't help myself."

"Alright now that shopping is out of the way..." Chie yawned. "What did you want to do now?"

The girls looked around at each other, waiting for someone to come up with an idea. Just then, Yukari thought of something.

"I got it!" She smiled. "Let's tell secrets to each other! Like real girl bonding time!"

The others looked almost ecstatic, though Aigis looked indifferent and Naoto's face paled considerably.

"That sounds like fun...but what should we tell?" Fuuka wondered. She of course, didn't really have many secrets to share that she could think of.

"Boys, of course!" Yukari giggled. Everyone else blushed and began laughing with her. Well...except for Aigis and Naoto.

Naoto coughed. "This is hardly a time when we should be talking about something as trivial as boys."

Chie patted Naoto on the back. "Oh come on, Naoto-kun! You're just embarrassed to tell everyone your little secrets!"

"Okay, who wants to start off first? Let's disclose any guys we have crushes on or admire." Yukiko's eyes sparkled.

"Wow, I didn't know you'd be into this, Yukiko." Chie's eyes widened at her friend's enthusiasm.

Yukiko giggled. "I'm sorry, I'm just having so much fun right now...just us girls having fun and taking a break from fighting!"

"I'll start then!" Yukari changed the subject. "I really love that Minato guy...Minako's brother is nothing like I thought he'd be..."

"He seemed like a real jackass, though..." Chie frowned. "I mean, what was his problem during the last expedition?!"

Aigis smiled. "It seems like Yukari-san likes boys who seem unattainable and play hard to get."

"That's enough out of you, Aigis." Yukari frowned. "I just like his mysterious attitude!"

She then turned to Fuuka. "You're turn!"

Fuuka blushed. "Uh...well I'm not sure...I've never really thought about it."

Yukari chuckled. "What about Junpei-kun? You two seemed to have gotten closer over the years."

"Wh-What? I-I don't like Junpei-kun!" Fuuka stuttered, still blushing.

Chie and Yukiko both grinned.

"I say your face says otherwise~" Chie laughed. "That's so adorable."

Fuuka covered her face with her hands. "Geez...this is so embarrassing..." The others laughed.

"Alright, enough making fun of Fuuka." Yukari smiled and looked Chie. "What about you, Chie?"

"Me?" Chie began to think. "I've never really thought about it. I mean, there is this guy I think is alright...but not sure if I'd go so far as to say I'd like him like him..."

Yukiko looked shocked. "I've never heard about this guy, Chie...it's not Yosuke, is it?"

Chie made a gagging sound. "Eww YOSUKE? No way in hell would I ever go out with him!" She calmed down. "But I never told you cause I'm not sure of my feelings for this guy yet..."

Yukari giggled. "You should go out with Akihiko-senpai. He needs a girl. And you seem to like fighting just as much as he does."

"But Akihiko-san is like..." She began counting on her fingers. "...way too old for me! What is he, like 21?" She shook her head. "No, I think he's more fitting to be a sensei...like my master!"

"I dare you to call him that whenever you see him. I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it." Yukari giggled.

Chie grinned. "I accept your challenge. From now on, I will call Akihiko-san "Master". My master!"

People began to stare at Chie's yelling.

"Chie...you should calm down...people are giving us weird looks..." Yukiko said, embarrassed.

Chie scoffed. "Let them look. I never back down from a challenge." She then looked at Yukiko. "I say that it's YOU'RE turn to disclose who you like."

Yukiko blushed and smiled. "Well...I guess I like Souji-kun..."

Naoto quickly glanced at her with an unreadable expression.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to admit it, Yukiko!" Chie said, surprised.

Yukiko giggled. "It's only us girls here, I don't mind~"

Yukari smiled at her. "Wow, it's going to be so hard to look at the two of you the same way again. You two would make the perfect couple!"

Yukiko blushed again. "You...you think so?"

Yukari nodded. "I know so! If anyone is perfect for him, it's you!"

Yukiko was embarrassed by this. "Wow...me and Souji-kun..."

Fuuka smiled, then looked at Naoto. "What about you, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto remained silent, giving everyone a deadpanned expression. "Even if I did like someone, I'd rather not disclose such personal matters about myself."

Chie sighed. "Same old Naoto-kun...c'mon, you need to lighten up!"

Everyone was looking at Naoto expectantly, as if that could change her mind. Naoto sighed. "Aren't there more important matters to discuss than boys? Like the case?"

"You're just trying to change the subject!" Yukari said. "We all confessed, now you have to as well."

"I'd rather not." Naoto stated immediately.

Yukari and Chie groaned with exasperation. However, it was Aigis that decided to take the initiative. Without Naoto even feeling it, she swiped Naoto's hat.

"H-Hey!" Naoto yelled.

Aigis held the hat protectively to her body. "You may have the hat back after you tell us. It's only fair."

Naoto glared. "I don't see _you_ telling anyone who you like."

Aigis smiled. "I am an anti-shadow weapon, therefore I have no use for such feelings. However, I did have a very close bond with Minako-san, and I will cherish it always."

Naoto's mouth went agape.

"Now tell us who you like." Aigis smiled. "Although...my sensors have indicated that you have been acting weirdly around Souji-san since I've known you two. You blush and look away whenever he looks at you."

It was Chie and Yukari's turn to be surprised.

"What?" Naoto looked at Aigis. "And just how can you detect such things?"

"My built-in sensors can detect just about anything, including sudden changes in human emotions. You are cool and collected when discussing the case and with friends, but you suddenly get embarrassed and shy whenever around Souji-san."

Chie grinned. "Wow, Yukiko has a rival in love!"

Yukiko's face faltered a little, but she smiled nonetheless. "Yay..."

Naoto looked beyond embarrassed. "Alright, I think that's enough about me. Change of subject, please."

As if right on cue, a familiar face walked up to them. "Well, isn't this a surprise."

All of the girls, save for Aigis and Naoto, shrieked in surprise.

"Minato-san!" Chie managed to regain her composure. "What are you doing here?"

Minato shrugged and took off his headphones. "It's been a long time since I was on Tatsumi Port Island. I thought I'd go exploring a bit."

Chie and Fuuka both smiled and looked at Yukari.

'Oh no, they better not...' Yukari thought, glaring daggers at the two girls.

"So, Minato-san...would you like to take a seat with us?" Fuuka offered.

Minato thought about it for a moment. "I suppose. I was getting tired anyway." He took a seat at the edge of the table, next to Naoto and across from Yukari.

There was an awkward silence as Minato was looking through his mp3 player, and everyone else didn't know what to say. Finally, Yukari spoke up.

"So...Minato-san...tell us about yourself."

Minato looked up. "There's not much to say, really...I'm mostly silent and only talk when people talk to me first. I also don't tolerate violence, especially if it's directed towards my friends."

Yukiko smiled. "That's sweet...we don't tolerate violence, either." She then frowned. "It makes me wonder why we fight, then..."

Naoto spoke up next. "We fight for those that matter. To protect the ones we care about. That's not the same thing as fighting those weaker than us just for self-enjoyment."

Minato nodded. "I agree with Naoto-san. I remember when I was always trying to protect Minako...even though in the end she ended up sticking up for me, more..." He sighed.

Everyone else looked down.

"May I ask you about you and Minako's relationship?" Yukari asked hesitantly. "You two seemed like very close siblings. And what happened up until...you know..." She frowned.

Minato looked at her. "We were twins, so naturally we were closer than most siblings. Though she was the spunkier, more outgoing one between us. I was more laid-back and reserved." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I don't remember much from what happened all those years ago. I just remember that we got into an accident while driving across the Moonlight Bridge...my parents were both killed upon impact, and I was rushed to the hospital for critical injuries. I don't know what had happened to Minako after that. I somehow survived the crash and made a miraculous recovery, and was put in an orphanage soon after. I was adopted by family who lived in Sumaru City, and stayed there until...well, now."

Naoto flinched at the new information. This was so similar to the incident that happened to her parents and siblings, at least from what her grandfather told her. He didn't tell her where they were at the time of the crash...could this be a coincidence?

"And then, of course, you know how I got my Persona in the first place..." Minato's eyes saddened. "After that...gang related incident..."

Everyone else's eyes widened.

"So there is more than one way to get a Persona, then?" Chie wondered.

"It would appear so." Naoto regained her composure and began thinking. "Though when it comes right down to it, the main reason a Persona manifests is if the user accepts their true selves. However...it seems it also requires someone with a strong will to survive and carry on. Which is why it manifested inside Minato-san."

Minato nodded. "You're a detective, are you not?"

Naoto looked surprised, but nodded as well. "I am."

"That's a rather accomplished feat for someone as young as you..." Minato mumbled.

"...?" Naoto couldn't exactly hear what he said, but decided to let it go for now.

Minato looked at the sky for a short while. "It's getting late...should we get going?"

Everyone else agreed.

"We had a great time today. We should do it again sometime!" Yukari smiled.

Chie agreed. "Yeah, like going to the hot springs!" Her eyes widened. "Or go on a vacation!"

Naoto frowned. "Chie-senpai, I don't think we'll have time for all of that...we still have memories to retrieve and time is getting shorter."

Chie pouted. "But we all need a weekend off from this, or else we'll drop dead from exhaustion!"

Yukiko chuckled. "Stop exaggerating, Chie. How bout we all go on vacation around winter time? Like before the holidays?"

"That sounds like a great idea, Yukiko-chan!" Fuuka smiled.

Naoto sighed. "Do they not see that we're on a deadline? All they seem to care about is having a good time."

"...If you ask me, I think this is their way of dealing with the pain and hardships that come with the non-stop fighting and bad memories." Minato explained, looking at the others cheering. "If one is feeling down or sad, one must smile in order to prevent others from worrying."

Naoto looked at Minato, before looking back at her other friends. "...What was your little sister's name...?"

Minato's face remained indifferent, and he didn't speak for the longest time. After what seemed like forever, he sighed. "...Naoto."

Naoto's eyes widened in disbelief, and looked back up at Minato. However, before she could say anything, Minato walked away, without even looking back.

'...Minato nii-san...'

"Hey, Naoto-kun!" Chie yelled. "Where'd Minato-san go?"

Naoto was in a daze at the moment and didn't hear a word that was being said to her. 'I can't believe it...Minato-san...is my brother? The brother that I thought had died in a car accident all those years ago? Which means...that the Arisato-san we have been searching for all this time is...!'

"...Sister..." Naoto's eyes begin to get watery. She wiped away the tears before they could stroll down her face.

"Naoto-kun! Are you alright?!" The others ran up to her once they saw she was crying.

"Naoto-kun, what happened? And where's Minato-san?" Fuuka asked, concerned.

After regaining her composure, a smile made its way onto Naoto's face. "...Nothing. Everything is fine. Minato...san...left a while ago."

Yukari looked confused. "How are you fine? You were crying earlier!"

"Tears do not always mean sadness." Naoto smiled.

Yukiko and Chie looked at each other confused. Aigis remained indifferent.

"Shall we get going?" Naoto asked. "We have to make it back in time for the next mission."

Chie groaned. "You just had to spoil the mood."

Naoto took a glance at her. "I have a new reason for wanting to take this case as seriously as possible."

"...Okay then..." Chie's eyes widened by the amount of zeal that Naoto began to show.

"Well, then, let's get to Gekkoukan High School." Yukari nodded. "I wonder what the boys have been doing all this time..."

...

~Souji, Yosuke, Junpei, Ryoji, Hayate, Teddie, and Kanji~

"Yosuke, truth or dare?"

Yosuke began thinking. "Dare."

An evil grin made its way onto Teddie's face. "I dare you to kiss Sensei on the lips!"

Souji nearly choked on his own saliva as Yosuke's face paled. "I mean truth!"

Teddie waggled his finger. "No way, Yosuke! You can't back down from a challenge!"

Kanji, Ryoji, and Junpei snickered at this. Hayate seemed to be blushing.

"Consider this more payback for all the jokes you've been throwing at me all this time!" Kanji laughed.

Yosuke glared at Kanji. "No. Way. In Hell. Am I kissing a guy!"

Ryoji smiled. "But isn't it better kissing your best friend, than a stranger like one of us? I'm sure if you were gonna object to kissing Souji, then Teddie would just make you kiss someone else, instead..."

Yosuke's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"And besides, you always call Souji-senpai you're _partner_, anyway, right?" Kanji grinned. "Might as well make it official."

Scowling at Kanji, Yosuke looked at Souji, who had an indifferent look on his face. "...Augh!" In one swift motion, Yosuke planted a quick kiss on Souji's lips.

"There, you all happy?!" Yosuke said, his face turning even more read.

Souji was stunned for a moment, before regaining his composure.

"So how was the kiss, Souji-senpai?" Kanji snickered.

Souji thought about it for a moment, before grinning. "Could have been better."

Junpei, Ryoji, Teddie, and Kanji began rolling on the floor in laughter.

"Oh man, this is hilarious!" Junpei screeched. "I'm so sorry that you're such a horrible kisser, Brosuke!"

Yosuke glared at him. "What did I say about the nickname? And maybe it's cause I didn't enjoy doing that!"

Souji chuckled. "I don't know about that, even if it was pretty quick, there was some tongue action from your part."

Junpei, Ryoji, and Teddie just about lost it at that point and were now on the verge of dying on the floor. Kanji and Hayate tried to calm them down, while Yosuke looked at Souji in horror.

"I did no such thing! And why are you making this worse for me?!" Yosuke slumped to the floor. "I'm done. Our friendship is over."

"Aww don't be like that, Yosuke..." Souji chuckled.

Yosuke glared at him. "That's enough out of you." He then directed his glare toward Kanji. "Kanji, truth or dare?"

Kanji looked at him. "Dare!"

It was Yosuke's turn to grin evilly. "I dare you to call Naoto-kun, and hit on her over the phone."

"Wh-Whaaaaat?!" Kanji yelled. "No way am I doing that! Besides, she's probably still on that 'girls day out' thing!"

Yosuke smiled. "Consider this payback." He chuckled, dangling his phone in front of Kanji's face. "Oh, and it's on speaker phone."

"I thought you never backed down from a challenge, right, Kanji-kun?" Hayate smiled.

"..." Kanji all of a sudden grabbed the phone Yosuke handed him, and dialed Naoto's number. He could hear it ringing on the other line.

"This should be good..." Junpei whispered to Ryoji, who managed to survive the laugh attack from earlier. It looked like Teddie died from laughing too much, though.

Souji, Yosuke, and Hayate were looking at Kanji as he waited anxiously for Naoto to pick up on the other line.

_"Hello, Naoto Shirogane speaking."_

"Uh...h-hey, Naoto..." Kanji stammered at bit.

_"...Kanji-kun? Was there something you needed?"_

Kanji didn't know what to say next. "Uhh..."

A sigh could be heard over the line. _"If it's not important, can I talk to you about it some other time? I'm kind of busy..."_

Yosuke and Junpei tried to keep themselves from laughing too loud, but it was proving very difficult.

"N-No! It's very important! It's...uh...wanna come over later?" Kanji groaned. He couldn't believe what he was saying.

_"Come over? Kanji-kun, we have a mission tonight. I'm going to be seeing you, regardless. Besides, I'm walking back with the others right now."_

Kanji got impatient. "C'mon, I need you to make me a man tonight!" He then realized how wrong that came out, and immediately shut his mouth.

_"Wh-What? And just how am I supposed to do that?!"_ Naoto sounded like she was losing her patience as well.

Yosuke, Junpei, and Ryoji couldn't help themselves and began laughing really loudly.

_"...Is that laughing? ...Am I on speaker phone?!"_ Naoto sounded angry_. "You guys are a bunch of imbeciles!"_ And with that, she hung up.

Kanji sighed and threw Yosuke's phone on the ground.

"Hey, don't do that to my phone!" Yosuke yelled after he was finished laughing.

"It's your fault in the first place, dumbass! I needed to vent my anger!" Kanji yelled back.

"Umm...guys...?" Hayate tried to get their attention.

"WHAT?!" Yosuke and Kanji both yelled at him.

Hayate flinched a little. "It's almost midnight...shouldn't we get going?"

Souji and Ryoji's eyes widened and looked at the clock. Indeed, there was only about fifteen minutes left till midnight.

"Come on guys, we should start heading over to the school now." Souji got up from his seat, with Yosuke, Kanji, and Hayate following suit.

"Uh, guys...? I think we killed Teddie." Junpei said, poking at Teddie's seemingly lifeless form on the ground.

Yosuke glared at Teddie. "Leave him there." Before walking out the door.

"Farewell, Teddie..." Souji and Kanji prayed, before walking out the door as well. Hayate, Junpei, and Ryoji exchanged worried glances, before deciding to follow them out.

...

~Shinjiro and Akihiko~

Shinjiro was watching a cooking show in his apartment. A notebook on his lap ready to take notes.

_"Once the sauce and linguini are mixed into each other nicely, add the cooked shrimp and spinach. Make sure not to overcook the shrimp..."_

Shinjiro sighed and turned off the television. He looked towards the clock, and realized that it was almost midnight. He got up from his seat and went to grab his jacket. 'Things are quiet around here without Koromaru...'

Someone began knocking on his door. "Hey, Shinji, it's me."

Shinjiro groaned. 'But now I have another dog that won't stop barking...'

He opened the door to find Akihiko standing there. "What do you want, Aki?"

Akihiko looked confused. "What are you talking about? We have a mission, remember? I thought it'd be nice to pick you up and walk down there together. You know, like the good old days."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Since when did you turn into such a sap for that type of stuff?"

"Well, I don't remember you ever wanting to open up to people, either. But look where you are now." Akihiko shot back.

Shinjiro sighed and walked out the door with Akihiko. He did have a point...

...

~Outside the Labyrinth of Memories~

The girls were already there by the time the guys showed up.

"Hey guys, how was your day today?" Chie asked them.

Yosuke and Kanji groaned loudly. "Don't ask." They both said in unison.

Naoto sent a chilly glare towards Kanji and Yosuke. "If that was some prank call you were sending me, I'd appreciate it if you would cease that behavior towards me from now on."

Kanji nodded weakly, while Junpei and Ryoji snickered behind him.

"Hey, where's Teddie?" Yukiko asked.

"He died of laughter, so we left him on the floor of the hotel room." Yosuke shrugged.

Fuuka's eyes widened. "You what?!"

"Don't worry, he's fine. Just sleeping." Yosuke said calmly.

Akihiko and Shinjiro decided to join them at that moment.

"Are you guys ready?" Akihiko asked them.

Chie nodded. "Ready when you are, Master!"

The guys stared at Chie, while the girls began laughing.

Akihiko raised an eyebrow at her. "_'Master'_? Where did that come from?"

Chie chuckled. "Inside joke between us girls."

"Why do I get the feeling like we're missing something?" Hayate whispered to Junpei.

Junpei shrugged. "I'll never understand girls."

"Anyways." Souji began saying. "Shouldn't we get on with the mission?"

Ryoji agreed with him. "Yeah, okay...Shinjiro-san, who should be on the team this time?"

Shinjiro, who remained quiet until now, began looking around at the others. "...Seta, Amagi, and Hayate."

The three of them nodded, and took their positions in front of the Labyrinth's doors. Shinjiro and Ryoji stood in front of them. The doors opened, and the team walked inside.

...

~Labyrinth of Memories~

The Labyrinth seemed normal, just like any other day.

Ryoji sighed with relief. "The Labyrinth is back to normal today, meaning there won't be anyone in particular we'll have to fight afterwards." There were, however, more shadows that had to be dealt with.

_"I'm sensing that the room you are searching for is only a few floors above you!"_ Fuuka voice shouted.

Shinjiro nodded and the team began their trek through the Labyrinth.

Once they made it up the first flight of stairs, they were surrounded by a couple of Neo Minotaurs.

_"Those shadows are very strong!"_ Fuuka's voice yelled. _"They have strong attack power, but their defenses are weak!"_

"Alright." Shinjiro summoned Norn. "Magarudyne!" The winds of Norn's attack spiraled around the shadows, which seemed to have a devastating blow on them. One of the shadows, however, dodged the attack and was charging towards Hayate.

"Hayate-san!" Yukiko took her battle stance, ready to heal or attack.

Hayate summoned his arcana card in front of him. "Hector!" He threw his chakrams at the card, and summoned Hector by his side. "Deathbound!"

Hector charged at the Neo Minotaur, and with one fell swoop of his sword, not only demolished through the charging shadow, but all the others as well. Hector disappeared, and Hayate began panting.

"Wow, that was amazing, Hayate-san!" Yukiko praised.

Souji smiled. "Don't wear yourself out too much though, you're not used to battling just yet."

Hayate chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Shinjiro smirked at the display. "We should continue on."

"The stairs are over there!" Ryoji pointed in the room next to the one they came from.

"I'm glad we didn't have to travel long for the next stair case." Souji sighed.

After going up the stairs and wandering around that floor for awhile, they were attacked by more Neo Minotaurs. They were easily dealt with thanks to Shinjiro and Hayate, with Yukiko and Souji on defense. And before they knew it, they found the stair case and the next room.

'Memories of Celebration' was written on the door, along with Shinjiro's name.

"Shall we?" Ryoji stepped aside as Shinjiro put his hand on the door knob, and opened it.

...

**~Memories of Celebration~**

_Minako just got back to the dorm after doing a little shopping at Paulownia Mall. When she opened the door, however, she noticed that only Shinjiro was in the living room. 'The others are probably in their rooms...'_

_It was at this moment that Shinjiro walked up to her. "Well then, let's do it today...you better not go anywhere, alright? Just be patient and wait about an hour." He smiled. "...Tell the other guys that too."_

_Minako smiled as well. "What are you making?"_

_Shinijro chuckled. "Dinner. You're gonna eat too, right?"_

_She couldn't help but giggle. 'Shinjiro-senpai really is going to make dinner for everyone.'_

_"Fuuka!" Shinjiro yelled. Fuuka, at that moment, came running down the stairs and followed Shinjiro into the kitchen. Minako decided to sit on a stool in front of the kitchen to watch them cook._

_Shinjiro was directing Fuuka on what to do. "I've already got everything ready beforehand, like I taught you to do last time. You remember what to do from here?"_

_Fuuka nodded. "Yes! Um...I need to put oil in the frying pan!" She grabbed a bottle from the counter._

_"That's right..." Shinjiro's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you doing with the cooking wine? I said olive oil, it's over here." He grabbed the bottle that was right next to the one Fuuka picked up._

_Fuuka looked like she was beginning to panic a little. "Ummm, four tablespoons of olive oil...right?" She grabbed a ladle and began to pour the oil, before Shinjiro stopped her._

_"Put that ladle away! Haven't you ever seen a measuring spoon before?!" Shinjiro raised his voice, trying to remain calm._

_"Ohhh...so that's what this thing is." Fuuka panicked even more._

_Minako tried her very best not to laugh at the scene before her. 'They have a long way to go...' _

_Minako was amazed at how Shinjiro was cooking a separate dish, while teaching Fuuka how to make a different dish. "What's for dinner?"_

_Shinjiro looked at her and smiled. "We're keeping it a surprise until it's done...I mean, by the time we're finished, it might be something else entirely." He looked over at Fuuka as he said that._

_Fuuka sighed. "I'm sorry, Minako-chan. If only I was better at cooking..."_

_Shinjiro looked at Fuuka. "Just hush up and watch what you're doing. A piece of egg shell just fell in there."_

_"Huh?" Fuuka looked down at the frying pan, and indeed, there was a small piece of egg shell. "Oh, you're right. It's amazing that you noticed that, Senpai."_

_Shinjiro groaned. "C'mon, I said to keep the egg white. Why is the yolk all by itself in the bowl?"_

_Fuuka looked at the bowl. "Huh? When did that happen...?"_

_While Fuuka was looking around to where the egg whites could have gone, Junpei came downstairs and walked over to the kitchen. "Man, something smells good...huh? Is that you cooking, Fuuka?"_

_Fuuka began to panic even more. "H-He's teaching me right now!" _

_Koromaru and Aigis came downstairs as well, and Koromaru was staring at the kitchen._

_"Koromaru-san seems to be very anxious." Aigis translated._

_The others came down stairs too._

_"Wow, that smells so good! It's making me all hungry..." Yukari grinned._

_Akihiko chuckled. "So Shinji's cooking..." Akihiko looked at the food being cooked. "...Will there be any leftovers?"_

_"Can't you tell?" Shinjiro replied to his question, and resumed his cooking._

_Akihiko looked at him. "...You're supposed to be a good friend and make larger servings when you cook in front of lots of people."_

_Shinjiro smirked. "You're supposed to not be an idiot. Look, there's obviously more than twelve servings here."_

_"Huh?!" Junpei yelled in surprise._

_Yukari looked happy. "Do you mean...?"_

_"There's enough for everyone." Minako stated while smiling._

_"Shinji...!" Akihiko looked ecstatic._

_Shinjiro looked like he was getting a headache. "Shut up and siddown..."_

_Koromaru barked, so Aigis translated for him. "He says that he is already seated."_

_While the others sat down at the table talking about the upcoming dinner, Shinjiro and Fuuka continued to cook. Minako took turns between talking to the others and watching Shinjiro and Fuuka. Shinjiro yelled at the group a few times to shut up, but other than that, things went rather well. Two hours later, and all the food was done. Shinjiro and Fuuka put each dish that they made on the table._

_"Is...all of this for us?" Yukari said, stunned._

_Junpei was equally stunned. "Whoa...is this some kind of party?" _

_There were many different types of food on the table. From tomato pasta and sweet and sour pork, to fried chicken, paella, omelette with fried rice, and more._

_"Is Mitsuru-senpai in her room? I'll go get her!" Fuuka rushed up the stairs._

_"Oh, and Aki...go get Ken too. It's a little late, but he's probably still up..." Shinjiro told Akihiko._

_Akihiko got up from the table. "...Sure." And walked up the stairs._

_"I don't even know how to make one of these dishes..." Junpei looked at all the food on the table._

_"On top of that, they're all made from scratch, too..." Yukari stated._

_Mitsuru and Fuuka walked down the stairs, along with Akihiko and Ken. _

_"What's the matter? Why are you all gathered together all of a sudden...?" Mitsuru was shocked to see all the food on the table. "What's...this all about? Did someone call a chef?"_

_Ken stared at the food. "Huh...? Did Shinjiro-san make this?" He remained silent after that._

_"Everyone sit." Shinjiro ordered._

_"Yessir!" Junpei panicked, and everyone took their seats._

_"Now pick up your chopsticks..."_

_"Roger that!" Yukari said happily._

_Shinjiro smirked. "...And dig in."_

_Everyone was delighted to hear that, and immediately began putting food on their separate plates. Minako took a little bit of everything, and put some food into her mouth. 'It's delicous!' She thought happily._

_Yukari was beyond happy at this point. "Oh man, I'm in heaven..."_

_"Th-This...! It's a portal to the delicious dimension!" Junpei shouted before stuffing more food into his mouth._

_Mitsuru looked at him with a confused expression. "...What does that even mean?"_

_Akihiko on the other hand, was eating so fast that he began to choke on the food he swallowed. Fuuka handed him some water, which he drank hastily. _

_"...Huh? Aren't you going to eat, Ken-kun?" Fuuka asked Ken._

_Ken looked up from pushing his food around on his plate. "Oh...I-I'll have something..thanks for the food..." He looked down at his plate again._

_"...Yeah." Shinjiro looked at Ken._

_..._

_After everyone chatted and ate until they could no longer fit anything else into their stomachs, they cleaned up whatever food was left and put it in the refrigerator. Everyone else then went up to their rooms, leaving Minako and Shinjiro in the living room. They were drinking some tea._

_"Looks like everyone enjoyed it." Shinjiro laughed quietly. _

_Minako smiled. "It was a lot of fun."_

_"Is that so..." Shinjiro laughed. "If you hadn't brought up the idea, I probably never would've done something like this. It was so simple, and all I had to do was do it..." He frowned, muttering the last bit to himself._

_Minako looked at Shinjiro in a caring manner. 'Did...did I give Shinjiro-senpai the courage to go through with this...?' Minako could feel that she was getting closer to Shinjiro's inner feelings..._

_At that moment, Shinjiro began coughing. He sighed. "Today tired me out. I'm gonna go to bed." He got up from the couch. "You should head off to bed soon, too..." He headed towards the stairs. "...'Night." And with one last look back at Minako, he headed up the stairs._

_"Goodnight, Shinjiro-senpai..." Minako smiled, before heading up to her room as well._

_..._

_**~Memories of Celebration, End~**_

Shinjiro, Souji, Hayate, Yukiko, and Ryoji opened their eyes.

"Wow..." Was all Souji could say.

"I could tell that whenever you were around Arisato-san, you were much happier..." Yukiko smiled.

Shinjiro grunted and looked away. "...It's memories like these that I want to remember...not the horrible, painful ones that happened not long afterward..." He mumbled.

"...?" Hayate looked at him. "What did you say?"

Shinjiro looked at Hayate. "N-Nothing..."

Souji looked around. "Well...there's nothing much left to do...want to head on out?"

Ryoji nodded. "Hey, Fuuka! Can you teleport us out?"

Fuuka's voice chimed in. _"Roger that!"_

A huge ball of light illuminated them, and next thing they knew, they were back in front of the Labyrinth's doors. The rest of the members ran up to them.

"What was this memory like?" Ken asked.

Shinjiro remained silent, so Ryoji took over. "You guys were having a huge party, it seemed. Shinjiro and Fuuka were cooking for everyone!"

Junpei and Yukari's eyes widened. "Oh wow, I remember that!" Junpei stated happily. "That food was so good..."

Yukari nodded. "And it was all made from scratch by Shinjiro-senpai and Fuuka, too!"

"Aww you guys are so lucky!" Yosuke pouted. "All we get is Mystery Food X..."

Chie glared at him. "Will you quit it with the Mystery Food X?!" Yukiko glared at him as well.

Akihiko, however, stared at Shinjiro. "...Isn't that...right before...?"

Shinjiro continued to remain silent, before slowly nodding. "...Yeah."

Akihiko's body tensed up.

Naoto looked at both of them with concern, while Minato looked at them suspiciously.

"Hey, come on you guys! We should get some sleep for tomorrow's mission!" Ryoji shouted to the four. Naoto turned around to find that the others were already walking down the stairs.

"Hey, guys? We should get going..." Before Naoto could finish her sentence, Shinjiro brushed past her and walked down the stairs. Naoto noticed that he had a pained expression on his face as he walked by.

Akihiko looked at Shinjiro as he left. "...I'll finally know what happened to Minako..." And then he walked down the stairs as well, leaving Naoto and Minato behind.

"...I don't like this..." Naoto stated to herself. "The tension between them could be felt from where I was standing..."

Minato looked at Naoto. "I don't like this either. I think something happened to Minako...something that only Shinjiro-san knows the details about, and refuses to tell anyone else." He clenched his fists.

Naoto nodded. "But what? It looked like Akihiko-san got pretty angry about it too, from how he reacted."

"..." Minato shook his head. "Even though Minako is my sister, I have to leave them to handle this. Whatever happened...it's their problem, and they have to be the ones to solve it."

Naoto chuckled, before looking up at Minato. "...Don't you mean _our_ sister...?"

Minato looked down at Naoto with surprise, before smiling and pulling Naoto into a hug. "...Right. _Our_ sister..."

Naoto hugged him back. "I'm glad to have found you again, Nii-san..." Naoto has never opened up to anyone like this before. The amount of emotions she was feeling right now was staggering.

"Me too, Naoto-kun...me too..."

* * *

_Wow...so I managed to tie up one of the plot bunnies I decided to add. Yes, I officially made Minato, Minako, and Naoto siblings. Woot! It was definitely stressful for me, trying to come up with what they were going to be doing...but then I was just all "To hell with it, I'll wing it like I always do." And...sure enough, I managed to get it done. _

_I decided that I'm only going to add the social link memories that had the most impact (in my opinion anyway) to Minako and Shinjiro's relationship. And also, they have to be long enough where I can make it a chapter. This social link event was definitely one of my favorites. I loved it so much! It also made me hungry hahaha.  
_

_And if the hints were anything to go by, if you guys read my first Persona story, "Only You", you guys should know what memory comes next. **But! I decided that I won't be showing all the details of what happened. As you know, the website has be cracking down on fics that contain any type of sex scene, regardless of how much or the context. So, in order to keep this story on the site, I won't be putting in the details. Which in the long run, might be a good thing. **  
_

_Once again, I cannot thank you all enough! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to get the next chapter done sooner! I love you guys!  
_


	19. Memories Best Left Forgotten

_Hello, fellow readers! For the longest time I couldn't decide whether to make this into purely a filler chapter, or another memory retrieval chapter. I decided on the latter~ And this chapter is VERY Akihiko-Shinjiro centric hehe. _

_I'm really grateful that I still get reviews for my story! Some people even commented that my Persona fic is their favorite and I basically just screeched for hours. Yes I do still check up on my stories, and you guys gave me the last push I needed to go with my gut instinct and write my ideas down! I was also debating on putting some romance stuff in, but then I decided, I'll probably put a Valentine's Day chapter somewhere along the way, so I'll save all the romance for that ;3_

_And the main point for this chapter is centered around the events of Chapter 6 from the first part, Only You. If you haven't read that fic yet, you may or may not be confused to certain events...but please know that I did not directly put the memory in this chapter. After all, they're memories best left forgotten~ If you wish to know what the memory was, then I direct you to chapter 6 of Only You **[TW: Implied Rape]**.  
_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

_No...why...why did this have to happen?!_

_- You weren't there to protect me. You told me you would! That you'd always be there for me! You lied!_

_N-No...I didn't even know what had happened before it was too late!_

_- You're so ignorant...that's why you'll never change._

_Stop saying that! That's not who I am at all. I can change!_

_- You can't change who you are, Akihiko..._

_I can! I'll do anything...just to see you again...I...I...!_

Akihiko gasped, waking up suddenly and drenched in a cold sweat. Was that a dream? It was more like a nightmare. Akihiko clenched his teeth and held his head as if he were in agony. That dream...was it Minako? It was just a voice, but it definitely was her. But...that didn't sound like her in the sense that Minako wasn't a weak person. She did what she did for a reason...and even at that time, she got over it the next day. He hung his head low. "...I love you..."

...

_M-Minako! Are you alright?!_

_- I'm fine...Shinjiro...I'm so glad that you're here._

_You idiot! What the hell do you think you would accomplish going out at this time of night?!_

_- I...I just wanted some ice cream...since Senpai wanted some..._

_...I don't care about the damn ice cream! You could have been killed! When I find out who did this to you..._

_- Just let it go, Shinjiro-senpai...I'm fine. We have more important things to worry about...right?_

_...Tch. Right, fine. But...I won't always be there to protect you, you know._

_- Awww...why? *giggle* Just kidding. I don't want to rely on you too much._

_Heh...good. And don't ever stop smiling. You look best when you smile._

_- You got it, Senpai!_

Shinjiro rustled in his sleep, his eyes slowly opening. It was very bright out...the sunlight beaming through his bedroom window. He sighed and sat up on his bed.

'What the hell was that about.' He stared at his hands, and after a moment, he clenched them into fists. 'No...I know exactly why. So...today's the day.' He calmly got up from his bed, his hair messier than usual, and went into the bathroom. After washing up and taking a quick shower, he got dressed and walked into the kitchen. Looking at the clock on the wall, he sighed when he realized that it was almost noon. Thinking that he had some time to spare, he grabbed his coat and left the apartment.

...

The sounds of punching could be heard, along with grunts of rage.

"Oi, Sanada-san." A man walked up to him. "You've been going at it for an hour now. Take a break if you need it."

Akihiko punched the punching bag as a response. "I don't need a break. I need to be stronger...just for today."

The man rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, here's some water if you want it. And don't blame me if you collapse from exhaustion." And he walked away.

Akihiko continued to punch away at the equipment, before stopping to drink some water. He sat down to get some rest, breathing heavily, the adrenaline in his veins dying down a bit. He sighed. "I promised myself that I'd get stronger...so that those close to me won't ever get hurt again. But is that really enough?" He looked down. "I couldn't save Miki...I couldn't protect Shinji...and now...Minako..." That rage began to build up in him again, and he punched the wall he sat against. "What else do I need?! Why is it always those I care about that have to suffer?!"

"...Umm..."

Akihiko jerked his head up in the direction of the voice, and saw Ken standing in front of him with wide eyes. "Ken? ...What are you doing here?"

Ken smiled sheepishly. "I was walking past this place on my way back from school...and I saw you in here so I thought I would say hi."

Akihiko smiled. That's right...most of the people in this group still had school to get through. Come to think of it, how were those from Inaba doing? Weren't they supposed to start school? He decided to not go too far into that. "Hi, Ken."

Ken sat next to Akihiko. "...Are you thinking about tonight's mission? I heard that it's a dark moment in Minako's life, according to Junpei-san."

Akihiko grimaced. 'Junpei, you idiot.' He nodded. "I've been waiting for this moment, since we first started this whole thing. I just...want to know what happened to her. Why I couldn't protect her..." He stared straight ahead at the punching bag, wanting to punch it again but held back the urge.

Ken frowned. "...Is that why you're here? To vent?" He looked at Akihiko. "It's not your fault, Sanada-san. You can't be there every time someone is in danger to save them. It's...impossible to save everyone."

Akihiko stood up, his hands clenched. "So you think I should just stand aside and watch my friends suffer?! Watch them die...?!"

Ken stood up as well, shaking his head and his expression filled with anger. "N-No! I mean that you should go at your own pace, and help those in need when you're able to! Whatever happened to Minako-san...I'm sure she doesn't blame you! It's just not like her!"

Akihiko froze, his mind going back to the dream he had earlier that day. That voice that kept blaming him for what happened. "...And what if she does? Not everyone is happy all the time."

"How can you say that?!" Ken yelled. "You loved her, right?! And I'm sure you held a special place in her heart as well...there's no way that she...that she would think such things about you!"

Akihiko's eyes widened. Did he really have a special place in her heart? Could he believe that? Still...that dream he had was still second guessing himself. "...Thanks, Ken. I'm going to train here more before I leave."

Ken had a concerned look on his face. "Alright...but make sure not to be late..."

Akihiko got up from where he was sitting and began punching away at the bag again. "...Of course not."

...

The wind was calm, and the sun was beating down as a figure stood in front of Naganaki Shrine. There, the grave site of a certain girl could be seen below his feet, the man's face melancholic.

"...You better come back alive after all this shit. Do you know how much shit I've been through because of you?" Shinjiro chuckled, smiling sadly. He kneeled down to brush off the leaves that fell on her headstone. "Can't believe it's been a year since then..." He stood back up, putting his hands in his pockets. "...Koro-chan's gone. Sacrificed his life to save mine...kinda reminds me of those times..." His expression was pained upon remembering that certain incident involving Ken and Takaya. Come to think of it, he was going through a mission to save Minako's life...just as how Minako indirectly saved his...whether she knew it or not. "And now everyone's going crazy trying to save yours. Hopefully, things will go as planned." He frowned. Would things go as planned? He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that after today...and maybe the next if it was what he thought it would be...things wouldn't be the same. "...Don't tell the other's I said this, but...I really miss you, you know. I don't know how you did it, but you got me to open up to you. And in the end...I came to fall in love with you, despite my best efforts to avoid that." He chuckled. "Of course, you were rather persistent as well. Not sure why...I'm not worth fighting for." He took something out from his pocket. "...Remember these? Your mp3 and headphones...those things you always wore, no matter where you went." He glanced at them, the headphone cords twisted around his fingers. "You told that one weird guy..." He grimaced. "And by the way, never talk to weird looking strangers. Especially in a bar. What were you thinking?" He scratched his head. "Anyway...you told him to give these to me...and after that, I listened to these every day, and swore that until I moved on, I would continue to listen to them." His face returned to a melancholic expression. "...Well, after a year had passed, I thought I had moved on, and so I stopped. And now recently...I've found myself listening to them again." He shoved the mp3 back in his pocket. "...Please come back safe...Minako..."

"...So that's your connection with her."

Shinjiro calmly turned his head to the side, to see none other than Minato walking up to the base of the shrine, where Shinjiro was standing. "...The hell do you want?"

Minato was unfazed by Shinjiro's aloof demeanor. Instead, he stood in front of Minako's grave and looked down at it. "...I can tell that you loved her very much...and for that, I'm grateful." Minato looked at Shinjiro, who by that time was looking at Minako's grave. "You know...back when we were at the orphanage, everyone liked Minako. She was always this bubbly little kid who did anything she set her mind to. Of course, that also meant protecting me from being bullied...since I was considered the problem child for not wanting to interact with the other kids." Minato didn't know why he was saying all of this. Was there even a point? Still...he felt that Shinjiro had a right to know more about her. He could tell that Shinjiro was listening to him, even though he wasn't looking at him. "...I guess that's why I was surprised when I was adopted, and Minako wasn't. I tried to get the people who adopted me to take Minako as well...but unfortunately, they couldn't. Minako told me that it was alright, and that they'd meet again someday." His expression saddened. "...It's a shame that I wasn't able to see her again before it was too late."

"...If this whole thing is a success, you'll be able to see her again." Shinjiro commented. "If we can retrieve all her memories, that is..."

Minato looked at Shinjiro, his expression neutral. "...Do you think that she'll remember who I am? If she lost all of her memories...and these memories are supposed to be connected to you in some way."

Shinjiro kneeled down next to Minako's headstone. "...That's not always the case. You weren't here for it, but...there have been a few cases where the memories weren't always just about me...or even her...it depends if your emotion is strong enough."

Minato's eyes perked slightly, before kneeling down as well. "...I hope you're right...otherwise me reuniting with her will have lost its meaning." Shinjiro merely nodded at Minato's response, and stood up, looking at the sky. "...I've been here longer than I thought I would. I should prepare for what's to come."

Minato nodded. "Right...I should prepare as well, just in case-"

Before he could finish, Shinjiro stopped him. "I'm not taking anyone with me...except for Aki. This time...only we can deal with this."

Minato's eyes widened. "...Are you sure you two can handle it by yourselves? And why do you want to do that?"

Shinjiro's expression became pained. "...It's just...something we have to do...we need to set things straight between us." He had hoped that Minato would leave the conversation at that. And after staring at him for some time, Minato obliged.

"...Alright. I'll trust your judgement. Just don't fail..." Minato stated, which earned a smirk from Shinjiro. "...Thanks."

...

Midnight. The moment that everyone, especially two people in particular, was waiting for. The Labyrinth of Memories had spawned at the exact time it always did, and the others had met up with Shinjiro and Minato, who were already there waiting.

"Shinjiro-senpai, Minato-san!" Yukari shouted upon seeing them. They both turned their heads to see the others running in their direction.

"How long have you guys been here?" Fuuka asked.

Shinjiro remained silent. His attention was directed at Akihiko, who refused eye contact with him. Minato responded instead. "We've been here for about an hour now. We opted to get here early..." He glanced at Shinjiro upon saying that.

The others were confused, with the exception of a few people. Akihiko, who looked angry and pained at the same time, Shinjiro who was calm and collected, and Minato who maintained his neutral expression.

Ryoji chose this moment to speak up. "So...Shinjiro, you should pick who goes on this mission now." He stood in front of the Labyrinth doors.

Shinjiro nodded. "...Aki. You're the only one I'm taking this time."

Everyone, with the exception of Akihiko and Minato, screamed in surprise.

"What are you talking about, Shinjiro-san? You two can't do this alone!" Ken yelled.

"Yeah, what about the shadows? And what if something unexpected happens?!" Yukari yelled as well.

Souji and the other younger generation team members just stood there uneasily, none of them wanting to speak up since this seemed like a personal issue between the others.

"What's your reasoning behind this, Shinjiro-senpai?" Junpei questioned.

Shinjiro grimaced. "...This is just something that only Aki and I can do...to set things right..."

This made Junpei angry. "So that's it? So you two can satisfy your own personal needs?" He yelled. "This isn't just about you two! Mina-tan was special to all of us!" Junpei tried to lash out at Shinjiro, causing Hayate to hold him back. "Stop, Junpei! You'll accomplish nothing from this!"

Shinjiro glared at Junpei. "Yeah? Well I'm telling you all that I only want Aki with me this time. I get to choose who goes in, so this is my final decision."

"That's an abuse of power! How can you be so selfish?!" Yukari was on the verge of tears. "Minako...she was special...I don't want to lose any part of her...and you want us to sit back and wait while you two see a memory that could be important to us as well?!"

Shinjiro averted his gaze from her. "...Trust me. I have a feeling these memories...they're not good ones. You don't want to see them."

Aigis tried to intervene. "You don't know that for sure, Aragaki-san...what if it's a memory we all want to see?"

"You guys just don't get it." Shinjiro began to walk towards the Labyrinth doors, a concerned Ryoji looking at him. "Come on, Aki."

The others turned to Akihiko.

"Talk some sense into him, Akihiko-senpai!"

"You guys can't do this alone!"

Akihiko stood there for a moment, before walking up to the doors as well. "I'm going with Shinji. We'll be back in a bit."

"...?!" The others were dumbstruck, and Yukari collapsed to the ground in tears, causing Fuuka to kneel down next to her.

After sighing, Ryoji opened up the doors, and the three of them walked inside, the doors slowly closing behind them.

"Why...why would they do this alone..." Yukari bit her lip. "They're not the only ones that care!"

"When they come back, I'm gonna give them a piece of their mind...and a punch to the face." Junpei stated, a pained expression on his face.

Minato looked to the side. "...This was inevitable."

The others looked at him.

"Aragaki-san told me what he planned to do. So I chose to remain silent. It's what we were discussing before you all came here." Minato explained.

"Wh-What?" Fuuka was confused. "What do they plan to do that's so important?"

Minato sighed. "...It's just as Shinjiro said...it's to make things right."

...

Inside the Labyrinth, the place looked the same as usual. The same warped walls, the same ominous vibe. Akihiko and Shinjiro haven't made eye contact since the day before, which caused some friction between them. Ryoji just walked uneasily through the corridors.

"This is odd..." Ryoji stated. "...We've been walking in here for a while and not a single shadow in sight."

Akihiko looked around. "Is it the Reaper?"

"...Fuuka, do you sense anything?" Shinjiro shouted.

"N-Nothing yet, sorry!" Fuuka tried to sense any shadows. "There doesn't seem to be...anything in the Labyrinth! No shadows...not even a Reaper!"

This earned a confused expression from Akihiko and Ryoji. Shinjiro on the other hand kept walking, until they hit an extra large staircase. "Come on." And they went up the stairs to see a gigantic door with the names 'Shinjiro' and 'Akihiko' written on it.

"This...something doesn't seem right. That dungeon was way too short." Ryoji commented, his concerned expression never leaving.

Ignoring his comment, Akihiko and Shinjiro walked up to the door and they both placed their hands on the handle.

"...Ready?" Shinjiro asked the other. Akihiko merely nodded, and they both opened the door.

...

Back at the Labyrinth entrance, the others continued to sit around, no one talking, just sitting with melancholy and concerned expressions on their faces.

"...I've got a bad feeling about this..." Yosuke commented softly so only his own friends could hear. "There aren't any shadows as far as Fuuka-san can detect..." He glanced at Fuuka, who was concentrating hard with Juno surrounding her. "And there's only two of them in there who can fight."

Souji shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it now...we'll just have to put our trust in them that they can do it."

Naoto began thinking. "It's...definitely odd that Aragaki-san wanted to go in alone, and even more so that Sanada-san agreed with his logic. But...they both implied that they knew what to expect...the question is how..."

Chie and Kanji looked confused, to which Yukiko spoke up. "Umm...well, from what it looks like, the memories are following a timeline, with the exception of a few unrelated memories." She explained. "Maybe they figured a certain memory would be next, since it happened not long after the previous memory..."

Teddie smiled. "Wow, Yuki-chan, you're as smart as ever!" He swooned. "But...if that's the case, why not let the others go with them? Should it matter that it's a bad memory? They could have helped them get through it."

Naoto shook her head. "If it's a memory important to the both of them, they wouldn't want anyone else to see it. Especially if it's a horrible memory."

Chie sighed. "I hope that they'll be alright in there..."

"Don't worry. Knowing those two, they'll probably be out of there within a half hour, tops." Kanji commented.

Souji was about to speak up, before his phone rang. This startled all of them, because it was midnight and they didn't expect that to happen. Souji picked up his phone and answered. "...Hello?"

"...Big Bro..."

"...?!" Souji sat up straight. "Nanako? What is it? What's wrong?"

Nanako sounded sleepy and scared. "Umm...you received a letter...just like last time, with no name on it. Dad went back to the police station, and told me to call you."

Something at the pit of his stomach just dropped. But he couldn't jump to conclusions just yet...still, Dojima probably came to the same conclusion he did.

"...Alright, we'll be back as soon as we can." Souji felt that the trains wouldn't be running this late, but he hoped that somehow, they'd make it back in time. "And Nanako, don't open the door for anyone, and don't leave the house until your dad is back."

"Mmhmm, bye Big Bro!"

And Souji hung up. Upon looking up, he realized he caught the attention of the others.

"Is something wrong with Nanako-chan?!" Yosuke asked.

Souji bit his lip. "...I received another unmarked letter."

The others gasped. Souji stood up from his seat on the ground. "I'm not jumping to conclusions, but we should get back right away."

The others nodded without a second opinion, and they all stood up. Souji walked over to the older generation. "Yukari-san. I need to ask for a favor."

Yukari looked confused. "What is it?"

"We need to get back to Inaba...one of my family members might be in danger, but the trains don't run this late." Souji stated.

This caused the others to perk up.

"Uhh, right! Hang on, Let me get in touch with Mitsuru-senpai." Yukari immediately got out her phone and dialed in a number.

"W-What's going on?" Junpei questioned.

"We got a phone call saying that Souji-senpai received a letter..." Naoto looked concerned. "Something similar happened a little while ago...and it was a vital part to the murder investigation we worked on. We don't want to take any chances."

The others exchanged concerned and confused glances, before Yukari hung up her phone.

"Alright. Mitsuru-senpai said that she called the train station from Iwatodai. They'll keep one train open and running for you guys." Yukari explained.

Souji smiled. "Thanks. And don't worry...once we sort this out, we'll be back as soon as possible."

Junpei and Yukari smiled. "You better! We need all the help we can get." Junpei grinned.

"...And we enjoy spending time with you guys." Yukari stated.

Aigis smiled softly. "Please don't get into any trouble."

Souji nodded. "...Right. Alright then, we're off!" And the younger generation ran off towards the rooftop stairs, exiting the roof.

Ken sighed. "...There's so much going on, I don't know what to think of all this."

Junpei frowned. "Yeah...and I get the feeling that there'll be more to come."

...

~Labyrinth of Memories~

A flash of light signaled the end of the memories being given to Shinjiro and Akihiko. And all that could describe the emotion was...hate, anger, and sadness. Akihiko's eyes showed that rage within his heart.

"...So that's what happened to her? My assumptions were correct." And before he could control himself, Akihiko swiftly punched Shinjiro in the jaw, causing him to stumble.

"What the hell was that for?!" Shinjiro yelled. "You wanted to see it, so I took you here!"

"Don't give me that shit. Why weren't you there to protect her?! Why did you...why did that have to happen to her..." He clenched his fists.

Shinjiro just stared at him. "I wasn't able to get there in time. I admit it. But I managed to stop them before they did anything too serious."

"...Too serious?" Akihiko glared at him. "She was sexually molested! How much more serious does it get?!"

"At least she wasn't killed!" Shinjiro shouted back. "Stop trying to put the blame on me! That's all you've been doing since we first began this huge mission!"

"You should have gone with her to that convenient store!" Akihiko yelled. "You offered to go, but you should have gone with her anyway, even after she turned you down. It was late at night!"

Shinjiro's expression darkened. "...I know...I know I should have gone with her. But you know what, it happened. That was a year ago, and I still feel guilty over it! I know how wrong I was, but that doesn't give you the right to bring it up and give me the cold shoulder at any moment you could! Grow the hell up!"

Akihiko was read to punch him again...before another voice popped up.

"Hahahaha! Wow, you guys sure made a mess of yourselves!"

They both looked up, and bore the same shocked expressions. In front of them...was the spitting image of Akihiko. The only difference was the gleaming yellow eyes...signature of a Shadow.

"Oi, you with the white hair." Shadow Akihiko taunted. "Are you sure it's really Shinji's fault? Or are you just blaming him because you need someone to blame? The person you really blame...is yourself, isn't it?"

Akihiko's eyes widened. "W-What?!"

Shadow Akihiko grinned menacingly. "Don't play dumb! You blame yourself every day. That you couldn't 'save the love of your life'. Am I right?"

Akihiko was dumbstruck, unable to speak, while Shinjiro was on edge. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he did know that Akihiko would most likely deny his shadow.

"You say that Shinji is the one that wasn't there to save her...but really...the one that couldn't save her was YOU." Shadow Akihiko sneered. "YOU were the one who was with her last. YOU were the one who jogged home with that day, and immediately went to your room to train. And YOU were the one who in the end, wasn't strong enough to protect her!" Shadow Akihiko laughed. "You're nothing but a weak fool who can't do anything right. You can't even protect the ones you care about! Pathetic." The shadow turned to look at Shinjiro. "...I don't understand why you put up with him, considering how he couldn't even protect you from getting shot. And he couldn't keep your girlfriend from dying." He grinned. "Oh yeah, that reminds me." Shadow Akihiko looked back at Akihiko, who at this point had a look of horror and anger on his face. "...This man stole your girl, right? You secretly despise him. You wish that Minako was yours."

Akihiko stood his ground. "I would never think that stuff about Shinji!"

The shadow merely shrugged. "You didn't sound too confident there. I know all of this...because I am you. And you know what...maybe I should just kill Shinjiro right now, to save you the trouble!" An ominous smoke began to surround Shadow Akihiko.

"W-Wait! I never denied you...!" Akihiko was surprised. "You shouldn't be able to transform!"

The shadow merely laughed. "...You did deny me, remember? ...That dream you had earlier today?"

And the horror set in on Akihiko's face. That dream.

_Stop saying that! That's not who I am at all. I can change!_

"That...that was you...?" Akihiko's voice less confident.

"No, but shadows are always with the person they belong to. I heard your every word." And with that, Shadow Akihiko transformed, causing Akihiko to fall to the ground. Shinjiro grabbed hold of his axe in a fighting stance, ready to fight. When the shadow was done transforming, it was a disturbing sight. A gigantic titan-like creature, with the body of Castor on one side, and the body of Polydeuces on the other.

"Are you ready? Cause I'm going to kill you. Right here, right now." And the shadow lunged his fist at Shinjiro. Shinjiro just barely managed to dodge, and pulled out his evoker. "Cerberus, Gigantic Fist!"

A beastly dog-like persona was summoned, and it growled before attacking Shadow Akihiko. Unfortunately, it did little damage.

"I finally managed to get through!" Fuuka shouted. "Wh-What's going on?! Why is Akihiko-senpai on the ground?!"

"Just get to the point, Fuuka!" Shinjiro yelled, Cerberus keeping off the shadow as best it could.

"Oh, right! Ummm..." Fuuka scanned the shadow. "I can't get much information on it! But it seems to be strong against physical attacks, and nulls Zio, Hama, and Mudo attacks!"

'So it's the same as Aki's persona.' Shinjiro got his evoker again. "Isis, Bufudyne!"

Cerberus disappeared in exchange for Isis, who summoned a giant block of ice and plunged it at the shadow, causing it to stumble.

"Damn you!" Shadow Akihiko yelled. "Here, have some Deathbound!"

And he slashed his hand against the ground with a tremendous force. Isis fell back to protect Shinjiro from the blow, but in exchange Isis took too much damage and disappeared. Shinjiro, in turn, could feel the damage Isis felt, and yelled out in pain.

At that moment, Akihiko managed to regain consciousness. He groaned and sat up, clutching his head in pain. "W-Wh...What's happening?" He looked up, and was shocked to see Shinjiro fighting his shadow by himself. And it looked like he took some significant damage from the fight.

"...Shinji!" He shouted.

Shinjiro looked over his shoulder. "Bout time you woke up." He turned back to the shadow, his body feeling heavy from the damage he received. "Loki! Niflheim!"

Loki was summoned, and immediately attacked the shadow, a huge pillar of ice proceeding up the shadow. The damage was evident, as the shadow fell background and screamed in pain. But...it wasn't finished yet. It got back on its feet, and put one of its arms up. "I...refuse to be weak! I must be stronger!" And it summoned a giant cloud of smoke, the sound of thunder could be heard.

"This is bad." Shinjiro was too weak to summon any more personas. "Tch."

Akihiko walked up to where Shinjiro stood. "...Hey, you, the giant thing that bears my face."

Shinjiro's eyes widened. "What the hell're you doing?!"

The shadow stared down at him, and grinned. "F-Finally! I can finally show you all that I'm not weak! I'm stronger than any of you will ever be!" And he targeted Shinjiro and Akihiko, the large thunder cloud drifted right towards them. "Thunderous Fury!"

The cloud grew to triple its original size, glowing and crackling. But before anything could happen, Akihiko swiftly grabbed his evoker and held it to his forehead. "Caesar!" And he summoned his persona, Caesar using his body to shield them from attack. The cloud exploded, lightning shooting off in every direction. Luckily, Caesar was immune to Zio skills.

"N-NOOOOO!" Shadow Akihiko screamed.

Akihiko glared at the shadow. "Now you listen. If ANYONE ever directs their attacks towards Shinji again, I will personally kick their ass." Caesar lunged at the shadow, causing it to fall to the floor. And since it put all its strength in the last attack, it was unable to get up. "Urgh...Dammit..." The shadow said, before going into silence.

"...Are you listening?" Akihiko asked, his expression pained. "I am like how you say. I'm afraid of being weak...that those I care about will continue to die and I'm helpless to stop it. And I'm jealous that Shinjiro ended up getting the girl I'm so in love with. I get it. I'm a weak piece of shit. But you know what?" He crossed his arms. "...I don't care. Because being weak is human. And I will only continue to get stronger. To learn from my mistakes. And to face them head on like how I vowed myself I would do back when all this first started." He looked at his shadow with pity. "...I know I couldn't save Miki. And I let Shinjiro get shot...and that I couldn't save Minako, both from this incident...to her last battle where she gave her life to save the universe. But I'm learning to cope with it. Shinjiro is perfectly fine-"

"...Hmph." Shinjiro averted his eyes, glaring at nothing in particular.

Akihiko ignored him and continued. "...And right now, you're the only thing standing in our way of saving Minako. There's a chance she's still alive...and even though she'll be with Shinji...just the thought of her being alive is good enough for me." He smiled sadly. "And...Miki is still alive in my heart. So in that matter, she'll never go away." He looked at his shadow, a proud smile on his face. "So you see? I'm stronger now. And it's because I have people I care about that are with me. And I'll continue to be stronger as long as they're here in my heart. But...I'll admit that you are still a part of me. And that's something that'll never change. Everyone has their demons...and you're mine. But, this time, I'm not afraid to admit it."

His shadow silently nodded, and disappeared. But...not before something else happened. Akihiko and Shinjiro both began to glow, a light emanating from their bodies, and the silhouettes of Polydeuces and Castor appearing behind their respective users. They both combined with each other, and with one final burst of light, became an entirely new Persona.

Thou Art I...and I am thou...

From the sea of thy soul I cometh.

I am Gemini, the Brightest Star of Protection.

The Persona disappeared, along with dual cards forming in the hands of both Akihiko and Shinjiro. The cards disappeared as well, and Shinjiro and Akihiko looked at each other, before Akihiko collapsed from exhaustion. Shinjiro kneeled beside Akihiko.

"...Damn, Aki. I should be the one collapsing, not you. I was the one who had to fight the damn thing." He grimaced, putting Akihiko's arm around his shoulder.

Akihiko smirked. "Yeah, well...I had to accept it. It's pathetic, right? My true feelings shown like that?"

Shinjiro rolled his eyes. "...Like you said, everyone has demons. And you were strong enough to accept them." He smirked. "...I say you're stronger than you think you are."

Akihiko couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Thanks...Shinji."

"Wow, I'm glad you guys are alright." Ryoji was standing in front of the door, his arms crossed. "We should leave before this place disappears."

Shinjiro and Akihiko both nodded, and they followed Ryoji out of the room, and down the stairs towards the main entrance.

...

As they walked out of the Labyrinth, the doors closed behind them and it disappeared into thin air once again. The moment they walked out, the others ran up to them.

"Oh my god, are you guys alright?!" Fuuka shrieked.

"What happened in there?" Yukari questioned.

Shinjiro grimaced. "Will you two shut up for once?" He was still holding up Akihiko's weight along with his own, so he was feeling really tired. "I need to rest a bit."

He walked over to a bench and sat Akihiko down, before sitting down as well.

"Akihiko-senpai looks quite beaten..." Junpei observed, causing a pained expression from Akihiko. "...No shit. But...it's nothing we can't handle." He glanced at Shinjiro and smirked. This caused Shinjiro to look away, but smirked as well. This also earned an exchange of confused expressions between Fuuka and Yukari.

"Umm...I hate to break up this moment..." Aigis interrupted. "...But shouldn't we try and contact Seta-san to see if they made it back home safely?"

Shinjiro and Akihiko looked surprised. "He went back home? How come?" Akihiko questioned.

Shinjiro glanced around. Now that he was more focused, he was aware that none of the others were around.

"He said that there was an emergency back at his home and they needed to leave right away." Hayate commented.

Akihiko sighed. "...I hope things are alright."

"...They'll be alright." Shinjiro stood up. "...We should get some rest though." He put Akihiko's arm around his shoulder again. "I'll take him home."

"I will assist you." Aigis offered, and put Akihiko's other arm around her shoulders. Shinjiro merely shrugged in response and the three of them walked off.

Junpei looked at Yukari and Fuuka. "We should go as well. We'll call Souji first thing in the morning." He looked at Ryoji next. "Were you still going to stay in the apartment they were staying in? You'll probably be alone for a while..."

Minato took this opportunity to speak. "Well...I currently have no place to stay. I could move into that apartment as well."

Yukari's eyes widened. "...Where were you staying before?"

Minato merely shrugged. "At an inn...but I'd rather not spend ￥2000 a night."

"That's convenient~ Guess now I have a roommate." Ryoji smiled, earning an eye roll from Minato.

Junpei grinned. "Well now that that's sorted out...we should get some rest for the night." They all agreed, and left the rooftop.

Meanwhile...

~Dojima Residence~

The Investigation Team had arrived back at Inaba Station at around 1am, and had arrived at the Dojima Residence just now. Souji used his key to unlock the door. "I'm back-"

"Big Bro!" Nanako ran up to Souji.

"N-Nanako...! Why are you still up?" Souji questioned.

Nanako had a concerned look on her face. "Umm...after that letter came here and Dad left, I didn't feel safe sleeping..."

Souji nodded. "Do you still have the letter?"

Nanako nodded and ran back into the house. Souji and the others followed.

"...Are you coming to the same conclusion I am, Senpai?" Naoto questioned. Souji nodded in response. "...Yeah."

Nanako handed Souji the letter. Sure enough, there was no name on it. He carefully opened the letter, and read its contents. His eyes widened, and turned back to Nanako. "Is your dad still at the station?"

Nanako nodded. "He left an hour ago, and hasn't called or come back..."

Souji looked at Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, and Teddie. "Can you guys stay here and watch over Nanako? Naoto-kun, Yosuke, and I are going to the police station."

The others nodded. "You do what you have to do." Yukiko smiled.

"We'll take care of Nana-chan!" Teddie walked over to Nanako.

"Thanks guys." Souji smiled, before turning to Yosuke and Naoto. "Let's go."

They both nodded and followed Souji out of the house.

"...Is it...?" Yosuke asked, an angry expression beginning to form on his face.

Naoto nodded, her expression melancholic. "...Most likely. And I'm assuming Dojima-san is questioning him as we speak."

Souji continued to walk forward, a determined expression on his face. "...Guess this will be a reunion none of us ever expected to happen. Looks like we'll have to see..._him_...again."

* * *

_-Gemini-  
__Arcana: Star  
__Strengths: Zio (Void), Wind (Repel), Physical (Strong)  
_Weaknesses: _Mudo  
Moves: Phanta Rei, Maziodyne, Gigantic Fist, Arms Master, Endure Dark, Regenerate 3  
History: Gemini was born from the two brothers, Castor and Pollux (Polydeuces). After Idas had fatally wounded Castor with a spear, Pollux killed Idas and went to his brother's side. Castor was mortal, so death was near. However, Zeus gave Pollux a choice. He could either stay on Mount Olympus, or give half of his immortality to his brother. Pollux chose the latter, so both Castor and Pollux were able to alternate between Olympus and Hades. In turn, they became the two brightest stars in the Gemini constellation.  
Notes: Akihiko and Shinjiro both have the ability to summon Gemini; If they are together, the power of Gemini doubles, but only one of them can summon him at a time; Akihiko can still summon Caesar._

* * *

_PLOT TWISTS AGAIN. Yeah, I basically just want to add more in so I have more to work with...as if I didn't have enough already OTL. Soooo, how'd you guys like it? I tried my best to describe the situation, hopefully it's alright. I honestly don't know if that's how Akihiko's shadow would be like. Tried to be accurate but probably failed miserably _ _

_So yes, next chapter will focus on the Investigation Team! I was waiting for this moment~ And I left you guys an interesting twist at the end~ Doesn't take much to guess what it is, but hey I tried XD_

_Thank you to the ones who still read my fic, and review to the chapters! I love you all so much~_

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And please review~_


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